Frozen Fire
by rainonmonday
Summary: Eddard Stark offered her a deal. Safe return to the Seven Kingdoms but in exchange she would need to marry his son, to keep her under watch instead of killing her like Robert wanted. She accepted because she believed she could work on her plans from within. She could turn the Young Wolf in her ally. But she wasn't expecting Robb Stark not to be like the men she knew.
1. Secrets

**So I had another idea for this pairing. I know there must be more people out there who like Robb/Dany and if you do, then please do tell me if you like this because so far I don't know if or when I'll update.**

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**_Chapter 1 : Secrets_**

When she accepted the deal – the marriage – she had more ideas in her mind that the ones she had been able to turn into plans. She had long ago forgotten those childish dreams about love and innocence so she deemed fitting to be married to a man she didn't love once again – and this time she wouldn't fall in love. This time, she would use the man like Viserys had taught her.

Eddard Stark might had thought he was doing a favor to her and keeping his honor like the stupid man he was – one who respected honor and family like no other in the Seven Kingdoms and across the Narrow Sea. He had thought that by keeping her under his eyes after the Usurper's death, she wouldn't try to regain her rightful place in the throne. She was barely more than a child for them after all.

He had sent a man to offer her a safe return, to be placed under his protection and by that he meant to be turned into his eldest son's wife. He wanted for her to be sent far into the North in Winterfell's Great Keep – to keep her a prisoner.

But she trusted in her capabilities and also that no man proud of calling himself so was able to resist a woman if she knew how to make him see what she wanted him to see. Even a Stark could be turned into her ally if she picked her weapons wisely.

Her only demand had to bring Ser Jorah Mormont back with her but he was the one refusing to such thing. So she only would have Irri, Jhiqui and Doreah with her. Her babies – her dragons – were not part of the deal but she took them with her anyway.

She was not afraid of Robb Stark – she had been married to Khal Drogo and, no matter how poorly they talked about northmen, she doubted it could be much worse than the nomad's life.

-o-

There's no room for a pompous wedding – for a Queen's wedding – she was told. But soon she realized that her wedding would be in secret. Not even Eddard Stark himself would be there to see his son espouse.

Only Lady Catelyn would serve as witness from his family. And she didn't seem content about it.

Luckily for her, or not, she knew what to expect when she stood before a priest the night after her arrival in King's Landing, inside a small inn. She had seen a glimpse of his wild reddish brown hair and striking blue eyes. His skin was almost as pale as hers, and he looked trapped under the black of his outfit. He was barely older than her but shyer and solemn.

It occurred to her for the first time that he wanted this marriage less than she did. That he was following orders. But everyone had to play under the rules of nobility. It would've been much easier for them to be commoners and married out of love, to do what they wanted.

His beard helped him to make him look like a man but she could tell he was facing the same moment she had during her first wedding.

She didn't pity him. After all, she had been a peon in other people's game and it was only fair that he did as well.

The only thing she could be grateful about was that he was handsome and he seemed rather docile, perfect for her plans.

He said his vows in a monotone voice but boldly looked into her eyes through the ceremony. She replied with her own in a soft, alluring voice with hopes he would believe in her being a very helpless woman despite the stories and rumors about the Targaryens.

He draped the cloak over her shoulders and she became his lawful wife in that poorly lit room with less luxury than she would've hoped for but with his promise of protection.

"You should go to your room," Catelyn Stark said in a hushed voice, probably thinking that the whole thing was not what her son deserved, not what any mother wanted for their children much less when they had ignored every custom.

She alone led them to a room. There was no feast, no commotion and no bedding because that night Robb Stark looked at her with the eyes of a man who felt betrayed, who felt duty was punishment.

"You can choose the side of the bed," he muttered as his eyes fell onto the dancing flames of the fire.

Daenerys stared at him, confused because despite everything she expected a sex starved man. She expected to be abused by a man who had assumed he owned her now. Seeing that he wasn't about to mistreat her, she realized that there must have a reason of his own not to bed her.

"My marriage was brief," she said, carefully moving closer to him. "I know you must have expected a young maiden with her virtue intact and I do apologize if because of my arrival here you have lost a lover." She had to bite back her tongue not to yell at him that she hadn't had a saying in her first marriage, that he hadn't the right to sulk like a child.

His cold eyes, blue like the sea dothrakis were so afraid of, bore into hers. "I lost no lover and, believe me, your virtue is something I couldn't worry less about." He walked around her and put more distance between them, never losing eye contact with her. "And I know you bore a child."

Her chest constricted painfully. One thing was to accept the loss of Drogo but losing a child she had carried inside her was another completely. Mayhap she had underestimated the Young Wolf and he was smarter than to abuse her physically – he would hurt her by opening healing wounds.

"Sleep," he ordered, motioning to the bed. "We need to leave early before news of your stay here reaches the ears of the Spider."

"If he's as good as they say, he must know."

"But he hasn't found a reason to make it work to his favor." He bowed his head. "Just sleep."

And with that, he left the room, leaving her alone once more.

Daenerys didn't know why it hurt so much to be ignored like that when the last thing she wanted was to feel like another man had enslaved her to satisfy his every wish. Probably it had something to do with not knowing what to expect now that Robb Stark showed that he wasn't like most men, that he wasn't about to work as she had thought.

But after a long trip through the Narrow Sea and a wedding, she would gladly fall asleep and continue with her plans next day.

-o-

Her new horse was nothing like the Silver. This beast was black as the darkest night and with a faint star. It was strong and solid like a rock but docile and silent.

"You are used to riding, right?" Robb spoke quietly, preparing his own horse. "We'll need to ride for a long time to be as far from here as we can by the end of the day."

She wanted to snap at him for how daring he was, for how he thought she was a girl who needed to be told what to think and do. She knew they were in danger and they needed to flee but what she hadn't known until then was that Ser Rodrik and Lady Catelyn weren't leaving with them.

"Large parties call more attention," the old, short and stout man grumbled.

Robb kept silently reading the horses and shot a look at her when she gazed her long dress. She was used to riding but not in the outfits ladies donned in the Seven Kingdoms and somehow she doubted her Dothraki clothes would be approved by people here.

Irri, Jhiqui and Doreah would ride as well but they weren't very confident about making the trip with just one man to look for them, much less when said man didn't look as built nor had long hair that proved his skills in battle. They were also afraid of Grey Wind, Robb's pet direwolf who followed him everywhere.

Daenerys chuckled to herself at hearing their protests.

"Need help?" Robb asked before mounting his horse.

She heaved a deep sigh and as learned, she mounted her horse with as much grace as she could, considering her dress, her height and the eyes on her.

"No, I don't," she retorted haughtily.

For the first time since she had seen him, she saw the shadow of a smirk on the Young Wolf's lips before he also sat astride his horse.

Approaching to her on horse, he pulled the hood of her cloak to cover her head and hide her face.

"Hair as white as yours is not common. Better keep it covered unless you want us beheaded before we make it out of here."

She huffed and tugged on the furs draped over his horse.

"Furs like these aren't common south of the Neck. We aren't hiding them."

"I'm not a Targaryen," he replied. "I could pretend to be anyone." His smirk disappeared under the shadow of his own hood as he pulled it up.

He soon was leading the way out of the city with her right behind him.

It would be a long trip and even more if she had to hear her handmaidens complain about her restricting dresses. She just hoped they would take care of the dragons each one of them carried in a basket attached to their horses. And that Robb wouldn't found out about them any time soon despite the many times Grey Wind sniffed the baskets.

-o-

He was a graceful horse rider, with a much different technique than Dothraki people but much more similar to Ser Jorah. She missed her best advisor but he said he trusted her – that she needed to not be as hot-blooded as her brother had been and she'd be fine.

It amused her to see hints of his reddish hair gleaming under the sun. Robb seemed like a boy who had unwillingly turned into a man. He had probably been a playful young lad who would've been happy just forgoing his duties as a noble man. And she had sometimes thought about it but it was in their blood.

By nightfall, they had found a small inn, a place where only Robb spoke to the man in charge and the women who served the patrons.

Daenerys could tell the man had uttered a crude joke about them because he was eyeing her and her handmaidens with hungry eyes like most men in the place that fortunately weren't many. She didn't know what Robb had said in return but he had handed a few coins to the man.

"Follow me," Robb spoke as soon as he returned to them.

He had paid for two rooms, one for them and another for her handmaidens.

Once inside the room she finally shed her hooded cloak but Robb just adjusted his clothes and checked on his sword.

"Aren't you going to bed?" she asked, looking for her clothes and untangling her hair to braid it before bed.

He took a chair and placed it near the door, where he sat. "I can't." Grey Wind curled down at Robb's feet and made clear that both of them would stand guard at the door.

She wasn't about to fight him because they were in danger, both thanks to her and, if rumors were true, about his father and his sense of justice and right.

She didn't understand why anyone would mess with power, or why if Eddard Stark didn't trust the Usurper's judgment, he hadn't done something about it sooner, from the inside. But betrayal wasn't how the Starks played.

-o-

Morning greeted her with the sight of a direwolf wide awake lying near the door and a sleeping Robb still uncomfortable sat on a chair.

She got out of bed to watch him sleep. Long and thick eyelashes fanning over his high cheeks, unruly hair, body tense even in sleep and his hand gripping his sword for dear life.

"Robb," she whispered softly, not to startle him. She leaned over his shoulder, closer to his ear and called his name again.

He felt warm and she smelt the faint odor of sweat clinging to his skin. It wasn't entirely unpleasant – it didn't bother her as much as it could've done and in fact it was nice.

Before she could think about it, she placed her soft hand over the one who held the sword and dragged the tip of her nose over the beard covering his cheek.

He woke up and tried to pull his sword out for a second, until he recognized her. Robb stayed still as she nuzzled his cheek. Her smell and softness were probably something he wasn't used to. He had probably bedded maidens up in the north but no ladies and much less ones that were much more experienced – much less ones that had been taught about amatory arts with Dothrakis.

She sat astride his lap and let go of his hands but he didn't move. So she took the initiative and kissed him softly. This was about testing his limits and the power she could have on him. By no means had she wanted to be attracted to him.

At first he didn't respond but soon his lips were massaging hers and she sighed against her will when his hands fell upon her hips, caressing softly but firmly over the sheer barrier of her gown. There was something different about his kisses and touch – he was gentler and with more patience, something neither Drogo nor her had had.

His fingers dug into the flesh of her waist and he deepened the kiss. Her own arms wound around his neck and she buried her fingers into the mass of reddish curls of his hair. His hands crept down and tried to look for the hem of her gown but before he could glide his roughened palms up the sides of her thighs, he pulled back.

His hands abandoned the place on her knees and he turned his face away.

"Stop," he muttered somewhat angered. "We need to leave soon." He eased her on her feet as he stood up, gently but he was rejecting her and it infuriated her. "I'll send your handmaids in," he said before making its way out of the room with his wolf in tow.

Dany clenched her jaw and wondered for the first time if maybe Eddard Stark had known exactly what he was doing when he had offered her to marry Robb and she had been fooled by the man because his son was certainly not what she had expected.

She didn't know who was going to drive the other mad.


	2. Unwelcome

**Don't expect updates as quick as this one. It's just that the feedback - reviews, alerts and favs - inspired me.  
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**_Anarra_ asked for more details regarding the story and I think it is necessary. So I'm playing with the timing here. Eddard hasn't died yet nor has Robert but this will soon happen. This will mostly tell the story of what will happen when Robb tries to avenge his father's death and Daenerys tries to find her rightful place in the throne, forces combined.  
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**I hope you like this chapter as much as the first.**

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**_Chapter 2 : Unwelcome_**

The woman was undeniably beautiful – much more than Queen Cersei who was allegedly one of the most beautiful women in the Seven Kingdoms. Her eyes were haunting and her white hair reminded him of snow under the sun. Her skin was as pale as milk.

Robb wasn't complaining about her beauty. He couldn't. He also knew that as the son of a noble man, rightful heir of Winterfell, he would have little to say about who he would marry. But he had never expected for his father to marry him to the only living child of the Mad King.

His father believed that as children, the Targaryen couldn't be at fault of their father's decision – nor their brother's. But everyone thought that as in their true nature, Targaryens would fight to sit once again in the Iron Throne.

The Lord of Winterfell didn't think Daenerys was weak by any means. On the contrary, he believed she needed to be watched and that's why he gave that task to the only man he could absolutely trust: his son.

Robb was proud that his father had chosen him for such task but also very saddened at the prospect of his future. He had always wanted a family like the one he had been born into but it would be very difficult considering how much hatred his current wife must have felt for him.

Against all odd, he didn't hate her. He couldn't.

At least riding through the woods gave him time to think about what he'd do when they reached their destination.

Looking back, Daenerys was with her head high, looking as the Queen she couldn't be. Behind her, her handmaidens murmured in their native tongue and struggled with the dresses they had been given – since their old outfits would have been frowned upon. Robb snorted a laugh at the sight and when Daenerys noticed this, she also looked back and soon a small smile made it on her lips.

Couldn't she smile more often? Smiles like that could warm a frozen heart.

-o-

They were purposefully avoiding the Kingsroad, in case anyone could recognize the characteristic features Daenerys possessed. They were legendary now, the blood of the dragon. And knowing how much many wanted the eradicate them, Robb feared he would have to wield his sword against an unarmed man.

He had to admit she was a brave woman who hadn't complained once about the hours they had spent on their horses – but maybe she was used to as the queen of a khalasar.

It bothered him endlessly that he couldn't forget what had happened that morning. It was affecting his mind and judgment to remember how her body and lips felt against his. She was soft curves and warm flesh. She smelt like wild flowers and tasted like some sugary treat.

These thoughts were filling his mind but he was quick to realize about the young couple coming down the lonely road. If they didn't do something, they would surely be seen and from a very short distance – enough to give a very detailed description of them.

Grumbling under his breath, cursing on his luck, Robb dismounted the horse and forced Daenerys to do the same.

"What is this?" she said angrily, as if he were her lackey and was insulting her.

He glared at her fiercely. "People on the road. We need to hide." He led the horses off the road and tugged her arm so she would follow quickly.

"Stop," she hissed through clenched teeth as he hurried his steps, to tie the horses behind some trees that provided enough coverage. "I said stop!" Daenerys exclaimed and yanked her arm free from his hold.

Not for the first time, at least not while he was angry, he felt like a wolf when he growled at her. "I'm your husband," he said as if that meant something, as if he could actually have power over her for the sole reason of that awful wedding.

"Not until you bed me," she spat back with as much venom.

"Would you rather have your head on a spike?" Robb's patience was being tested to its limits. It was as if she knew what cords to pull to make him feel useless.

"Is it better than being treated like a child prisoner?"

There wasn't time to argue, to finally show the mutual dislike and how affected they were by the circumstances. He didn't have time to make her see reason and explain. He needed her to cooperate but she was furious – due to his rejection that morning or just the fact she had been forced to marry him, he didn't know.

"Just hide," he breathed out in defeat.

"I don't see reason why," she replied stubbornly.

"Do you question everything?"

"I don't take orders." Her eyebrows rose in a defiant gesture but he stopped paying attention when he saw her handmaidens walking in front of their horses, right towards the couple leading a mule.

"What are they doing?" Robb hissed, ready to lose his mind thanks to the impossibly pigheaded women that accompanied him. If he had to drag them to a hiding spot-

Daenerys shushed him and tugged his arm so they would hide behind some trees and bushes, allowing them to peek through the long leaves. "Be quiet."

"So I have to take orders?" His eyebrow arched with amusement and a pinch of rage.

She smiled mockingly. "I'm your wife." At that, his thick eyebrows almost hit his hairline. "A woman is smarter than a man. It is known," she added with humor and triumph. She had won this little game of theirs and he had to admit it.

Meanwhile, on the road, Jhiqui, Irri and Doreah were distracting the couple. Well, they were seducing the man who looked more than pleased with the attention of such beautiful creatures, but the woman – more likely than not, his wife – seemed enraged, so she quickly pulled him away from the three giggling Dothraki women.

The couple was fighting and too enthralled in their problems to notice the fit of laughter in which Daenerys and Robb found themselves.

"Smarter, huh?" he teased.

"It is known," Dany replied, dusting off her dress, reading herself to resume their travel.

-o-

He had stopped worrying about the constant curiosity of Grey Wind and his fascination with the baskets the handmaidens carried. Robb didn't have time to investigate what was that called the direwolf's attention - which was probably only the strange smell of the foreign land.

The horses cantered through the woods but home seemed still so far away, Robb wished they could flight. They had just made it past the Neck and the cold was more noticeable now. As nightfall approached, he knew he had to find a place for them to sleep.

On her horse, Daenerys trembled though she tried to hide it under a mask of indifference. It was almost laughable.

Robb slowed his horse and let her catch up with him. When she was almost at his side, he draped a heavy fur over her shoulders, startling her when the weight fell upon her.

"Furs like these aren't common in the south but very welcome in the north," he quipped before signaling to her handmaids, whose teeth were chattering, that cloaks were part of their new belongings. His mother had apparently thought about everything, like the smart woman she was.

As soon as he found a place for them to take shelter, he didn't make the same mistake and this time he stood guard outside the room with Grey Wind.

He patted the animal's head forcefully but affectionately, wondering not for the first time if he could play the part as Lord of Winterfell while worrying about a wife who was more dangerous that his own wolf.

Would he ever be able to sleep again knowing she probably wanted his head on a spike?

-o-

"Are you afraid of me, Wolf?" Daenerys asked him the last morning of their trip, as they rode through the dense forest.

They were in his lands now but that didn't mean there wasn't any danger out there. For all he knew, traitors could be anywhere – he had learned not to trust as easily since the day his brother had been the target of an assassin for a second time.

"No," he responded. And he was being honest. He wasn't afraid of her but of what she meant, what she could do with him. "Are you of me?"

"Of course not. I'm a dragon. Fire and blood. Why should I be afraid of a winter wolf?"

"Because winter wind blows out flames, cold freezes blood and the wolf howl at the distance." He looked at her earnestly and he wasn't sure what she saw in his eyes but she looked less like a queen and more like a child. "Winter is coming."

It was the first argument in which he had the last word.

-o-

As he had planned, they made it to Winterfell in the dead of the night. He wanted to go unnoticed, to seek refuge under the shadows of the night.

The guards recognized him immediately but didn't ask questions and Robb was grateful about it. He wasn't in the mood to answer anyone's questions. But of course his luck wasn't the best and not long after his arrival and while servants were still helping them with their bags and belongings, Theon arrived.

Robb rolled his eyes before his friend could open his mouth.

"Take her to my chambers," Robb muttered to a passing servant, one of the ones he could remember since he was a baby, always loyal to the Starks. The woman nodded curtly and soon approached Daenerys.

Robb couldn't be bothered any longer about following every step his wife took now that she was inside the Great Keep. She was safe behind those walls. Or as safe as he was, at least.

Robb soon hurried inside the castle and, after a few moments, he heard the familiar steps of someone following him.

"So she's the last Targaryen alive?" Theon spoke with a voice filled with amusement and mischief. "Your prisoner? Are we going to keep her? Has the King sent her as a gift for you to do as you please?"

The lewd tone on that last question forced Robb to turn around sharply. He looked at Theon with disdain that didn't last long. He was exhausted and his head was full of unanswered inquiries.

"She's my wife," he blurted out simply and Theon's eyes widened.

"So she is for you to do as you please," Theon said, following once again when Robb started his way to Bran's chambers once again. "I thought she was Queen of some savages now. You know what they said, that Targaryens just wanted to rule something and she had found her place. Some horselord was her king." A cruel laugh went through Theon's lips.

Robb's fists clenched and something inside him didn't seem right. He ignored the words and the revolting feeling at the pit of his stomach.

"Did you at least show her you could ride her better than a savage?"

That snapped the last of his control. He hadn't slept well in days. He had ridden for the most part of that time. His life had turned upside down and his mother, father and sisters were in danger as well. He wasn't going to apologize for grabbing Theon by the neck and shoving him against the wall.

"She's my wife," he growled. "As much as it amuses you, this is not a joke. One day she will be the Lady of Winterfell. Respect her as such."

Theon's wide eyes hide no fear but they held some disgust at the sound of Robb's words.

People said Starks were fools for keeping their honor. What did honor worth in times of war?

"You're like my brother," Robb uttered softly as he let go of Theon. "Would it be wrong of me to ask for so little? I just need to keep her safe and hidden for as long as it is possible. Father's orders."

Both of them knew how much Theon valued Eddard Stark's opinion and how he returned the feelings of brotherhood Robb spoke of.

"I'll make sure no one opens their mouths," Theon promised solemnly and watched Robb go into Bran's chambers.

It was a heavy burden to be loyal to the ones they loved.

-o-

After checking on his younger brothers, making sure Bran was as comfortable as he could, considering his current state, and that Rickon was at least the same troublemaker he knew, Robb realized he had turned into a man overnight, without a warning.

Entering his chambers, he had almost forgotten he wasn't the sole owner of it anymore.

Daenerys was standing in her nightgown in front of the hearth, her long platinum hair cascading down her back. She looked like a vision.

"I thought you wouldn't share a room with me," she said when he closed the door behind him.

"You're my wife," he stated simply before looking at her in the eye. "Or not according to you. But we have to pretend."

"You have to watch me, like a guardian."

"Maybe," he replied, sitting at the edge of the bed and pulling his boots off.

"You're not my owner."

"I'm not."

She seemed taken aback by his answer and the look suited her.

"I'm tired," he breathed out. "Whatever you think I feel towards you is probably wrong. I don't hate you. I'm not afraid of you. I don't resent you for this marriage. I'm just tired because my world has changed in a matter of weeks."

She approached him slowly, as if he were a wounded animal easily scared. Daenerys stood between his legs and buried her hands into his hair, coercing him to look into her eyes.

Her fingers brushed his scalp soothingly, almost hypnotizing him.

"You're such a strange creature, Wolf," she whispered. "So different from most men. Honest to the point you shouldn't."

"You don't want me to speak the truth?" His voice was full of sleep.

She smiled at him. "Only to me. Would you lie to the world if I asked you to?"

"No."

"But you do for your father."

"For my family."

"I am your family now as well."

He sighed. "Maybe one day."

She chuckled. "So honest. So naïve."

His hands reached for her face and he tilted his head so his lips pressed lightly against her forehead. "So bitter. So cold. You won't survive in the north without hope."


	3. Warmth

**Thank you for your reviews.  
**

**Here I am building a safety net under Dany to remove it later. You'll see why.**

**Hope you like this.**

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**_Chapter 3 : Warmth_**

Mornings in the North weren't as bright and sunny as they were in Essos. They were cold and gray – or at least that first morning was.

Daenerys had always enjoyed the warm weather because she came from fire. The extreme heat of the desert never bothered her but now, for the first time, she noticed the difference between her warm bed and the cold air in the room. It wasn't really that cold but somehow her bed felt so comfortable.

Sighing, she scooted closer to the source of heat but as her arm wrapped tighter against a body, her back stiffened. Soon she remembered she wasn't alone in her bed and that the hard body, the chest covered in a faint layer of hair, belonged to her new husband.

Her violet eyes opened hesitantly to meet the figure of a peacefully sleeping Robb Stark. And under the blankets she could feel their legs entangled.

He had probably been so tired that not even her need for his heat was able to wake him up. Robb couldn't seem to care about being used for warming up. She certainly couldn't understand how if the room felt so cold, he was happily sleeping under the furs.

She used the time to study him. He was a handsome young man, not in the strong way Drogo had been and not in the classic Viserys had looked. He was different to everyone else in every single way and it intrigued her because if he was unique and she was the last of her kind, did that mean they were destined to make company to each other?

He stirred and she retreated, pulling away from him.

Her actions were leading her into dangerous territory. She had no desire of being a dutiful wife and bearing his children – she didn't want to learn to love him like it had happened with Drogo. She just wanted to be loved and desired so he would do anything to please her.

Turning on her side, facing away from him, Dany clung to her pillow and worried she would fail on her plans. And this time she was alone – not that it had been much different before but she felt better when Ser Jorah and Rakharo were around.

Not once before she had needed to be held for comfort but she had to admit the loving contact, the soothing sound of someone else breathing felt perfect. She had never had a family and the khalasar hadn't been one like the caring ones. Was that what made Robb different?

She felt the bed shifting under her as he slid out of it. Apparently, he believed she was still asleep.

"Daenerys?" He called softly, but as he did so, Grey Wind sat in front of her, staring into her eyes silently.

It amused her to see the direwolf tilting his head to the side as if asking why she was hiding.

Just like her dragons, direwolves were the Starks children. Others could be afraid of such a ferocious animal, one that showed its teeth to those who threatened the safety of their pack but she knew he was only protecting Robb, like her dragons did with her, though they still were far too young to do much damage.

"I'm not hungry," she murmured once Robb called her name again.

"Nonsense," he answered and moved so he was in her line of sight. "You haven't had a decent meal in days." Robb crouched before her, next to Grey Wind, and reach with his hand to touch her forehead. "Are you sick?" His brow furrowed with concern. "Do you want me to call for Maester Luwin?"

She scowled at him and slapped his hand away. "I'm fine! I just don't feel like leaving the bed yet. Send one of the maids with some food and I'll be perfect."

One corner of his mouth curved up. It infuriated her to no end to see how he thought she was a joke. He didn't see her as a queen nor fear her – he just saw her as a woman, as his wife. Funny thing was, she couldn't find in him the devious figure of the son of one of the men that had rebelled against her father. She couldn't find that reason to hate him with all her being.

"You don't want to join your husband? I wanted to introduce you to my family."

She sank deeper under the furs. "I'm not in the mood."

He cackled and the sound surprised Grey Wind, making his ears drop.

"You're a child. A spoiled child at that, my queen," he teased and soon he met the fury in her eyes. "Come on. Join me." He outstretched a hand and offered it to her. "If you are cold, you can come back here later for a warm bath."

"I liked you better when you weren't as cheerful as you are now," she replied, eyeing his hand warily. She knew she couldn't hide in their bedchambers forever – especially not if she didn't want to look scared of the Starks and the northmen.

The way in which his lips curved to smile was warmer than she had ever seen anyone smile. Not that she had seen many people smiling at her - at least not honestly. And comparing it to others, the only other people who smiled at her like that were Ser Jorah, perhaps Ser Willen Darry but she had been too young to remember it, and Drogo once or twice since he had found out she was carrying their child.

"If things continue like they have so far, you will probably see me in a bad mood more often than not."

She wanted tell him his bad mood was nothing compared to Drogo's or Viserys'.

At that moment, there was a tap on the door, and both master and beast lifted their heads. They were soon at the door, opening it and revealing a boy, a child that looked like Robb.

"Rickon," Robb greeted affectionately and the boy in front of him looked sheepish yet happy. "I'll join you in the hall in a moment."

"Who is she?" Rickon asked, pointing openly at Daenerys who watched the scene from bed.

She was all wide eyes. She was the youngest of her siblings and never needed to take care of Viserys – he wouldn't have allowed such thing either. It was difficult for her to understand the relationship between Robb and Rickon, and why the boy seemed so content at the sight of his brother. She hadn't been too happy when Viserys was around because it usually involved plans of how to sit back in the Iron Throne.

Robb soon fell quiet and looked at her, hoping she would come to his aid when he failed at making things simple for a child. An explanation for a marriage out of convenience, just to play the game of politics and keep her safe – but don't be fooled, she knew she was also part of Eddard's plan in case anything failed. She was at a loss too.

"My wife," Robb muttered simply.

"Wife?"

"Like Mother to Father. She's my wife," Robb said.

The small boys said nothing and only looked confused, brow furrowed and hands firmly holding onto a black direwolf that looked bigger than his owner. Robb had reluctantly shared the story of how he had found his pet and the litter of direwolves that were shared out among his siblings – one direwolf for each Stark.

Finally deciding what to do, Rickon walked further inside the room. "Hi."

Daenerys smiled against her better judgment. Time after time, she had told herself to not sympathize with the enemy, to not grow close to them. Rickon might have been a child but she was a baby when her family was murdered – no one had mercy on her.

"Hi," she murmured.

"This is Shaggydog," he introduced his direwolf and Daenerys' smile grew wider.

"I'm Daenerys Stormborn." She decided against speaking her name because she doubted a boy so young could understand she was not one of the Targaryens in stories they heard – she knew he wouldn't know the difference and she wasn't in Winterfell to create conflict within the Starks remaining there.

"Dany?" He jumped in bed and she laughed at his spontaneous attitude.

She would've liked to be so carefree when young but she was always escaping from danger and that was a thorn in her heart.

"You having breakfast with us?"

"I," Dany started and then looked at the smile in Robb's lips. What were the Starks doing to her? What was happening in her that she couldn't keep her head cold and take decisions so she would follow her plan? "Yes. I just need a few minutes to prepare myself."

"We can visit Bran later. He likes stories. Do you know some?"

Shaking her head, she realized that perhaps she wouldn't be able to execute her plans so quickly or easily. Time would be needed to win this family over and for that she would need to let herself immerse into their routines. They had to trust her and then she would act. She would turn them against the Usurper and win her throne back.

"She knows stories about dragons," Robb provided before taking the boy in his arms and off the bed. "But she won't share it with you unless you leave her alone so she can dress. Come on, boy."

That reminded her, she needed to see her babies and for that she would have to be very secretive and careful.

"Robb, I need my handmaidens. Robb!" Dany shouted but she could only hear the two brothers laughing down the hall.

She growled in frustration but luckily for her Irri, Jhiqui and Doreah soon showed up, each carrying a large basket. Her dragons were getting bigger each day and she was very proud of them.

"Close the door."

-o-

It was lightly snowing in Winterfell. Dany had never seen a scene like that, those snowflakes dancing in the air and falling gracefully on a blanket of white that covered the ground. Of course at the other side of the court, the mud looked horrible but she had decided to focus on the beauty of it.

"Are you tired?" A deep voice with a thick accent called.

Robb was next to her much more lightly dressed than her. She was freezing and he seemed at his best.

"Of what? Of the servants watching me as if I were a snake ready to bite them?"

He sighed. "I apologize if you felt unwelcome. But I was speaking of Bran."

She smiled at him. It was bizarre that a man could be so polite to his natural enemy. Or maybe he didn't see her like that. Mayhap he hadn't been raised to hate her and Eddard and Catelyn Stark were as honorable as they wanted to look like.

"He's certainly curious. But a very brave and strong boy. I couldn't imagine how he must feel now that he can't play with other children." She wrapped her cloak tighter around her and breathed in the cold and crisp air. "If someone did that to my brother, I'd seek revenge."

He looked at her sharply. Surprised.

"He said he had never fell before," she explained. "And if he never did, he was pushed."

By the way Robb looked at her, Dany realized there was something there, not just the natural suspicion but a proof that what she was saying had happened. It was clearly something Robb didn't want to discuss with her so she chose to change the subject. For now. There would be time for questions and long conversations when he trusted her openly and completely.

"I never had the chance before to tell the stories Viserys told me. Dothraki people didn't care about it, as you may imagine," she said, half smiling. "It was nice even if your brother asks too many questions."

Robb chuckled. "My sister Arya would've asked many more. She would like you and you would like her. She likes to fight against boys as well and believes that women are better than man."

"A smart girl."

They both laughed.

For a few moments, they kept the companionable silence. She had never just enjoyed being around someone else but Ser Jorah, and he was usually there only to advise her in her decisions or take care of her.

Suddenly, she felt her hand being tugged and looking at Robb, she saw the mischievous smile on his lips. "Come on."

"What?" Her eyes widened as she saw herself being pulled outside.

"You haven't seen snow before, have you?"

"No."

"Then follow me."

Her footsteps were cushioned by the thin layer of snow – at least thin for the northmen's opinion. And she felt like giggling when Robb handed her a handful of it. She felt the snowflakes falling onto her hair and clinging to her eyelashes. Her nose and cheeks were frozen, and so her hands as the snow melted through her fingers.

But as she was shyly paying attention to Robb, seeing how his hair caught more snowflakes thanks to those unruly curls, she felt something crashing against her back.

"Rickon!" Robb scolded promptly, half laughing as he tried to ask for forgiveness to her.

"I want to play too!" Rickon protested, probably upset that he hadn't been invited to this supposed game, especially now that his siblings weren't able to play with him.

"We're not playing," Robb explained and soon Dany understood that she had been hit by a handful of snow.

"We can play," she said quickly, thinking that maybe she could pretend she was a child and finally had friends to play with, like she hadn't when she was younger. "Just show me how."

"You don't want to play," Robb replied, smiling.

"I do. We have nothing else to do or where to be."

"Fine. We'll play."

Rickon seemed more than pleased with this news and he was soon running around, gathering snow in his hands and forming balls that he threw at Robb and her. Robb seemed to be trying to protect her, covering her and also showing her how to throw. Everything was fine until she happened to hit her husband with a particularly big snowball right on his head.

She gasped but Rickon laughed joyously at the sight of Robb's expression.

There was no reason why but she decided to run and Rickon joined her. Robb was soon chasing them.

It was very different from her childhood and she wished she would've had one like this, with brothers or sisters to play and laugh with.

But as they played and ran, Theon appeared with a somber and furious look.

"Robb," he said loudly and sternly, enough to put an end to Robb's good mood. "The Imp is here."

And soon Daenerys saw Robb's true rage for the first time. And the youth in Rickon's face disappeared to be replaced by anger as well. The direwolves following them looked as determined as their owners.

"Take her to our chambers."

Dany was about to protest but Robb turned around and clenched his jaw.

"He can't know you are here."

He was right, that would mean power for the Lannisters and that was the least anyone wanted.


	4. Moonless Night

**I'm genuinely amazed by the feedback this story has had so far. I always thought Dany and Robb weren't a very popular pairing (and I was also nervous about the plot). Now I feel the pressure of making this good enough so you keep reading.  
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**Thank you.**

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_**Chapter 4 : Moonless Night**_

As the Lord of Winterfell, Robb felt completely lost. He had always known one day he would take that place, of course, but his father was still strong and he had never considered the option of him leaving them to take a place as the Hand.

And now, as he ambled through the Great Keep's corridors, taking care of his responsibilities with his people and family, he hoped he was making his father proud because he wasn't sure how to deal with his new found duties. He had barely known how to treat Tyrion Lannister when he arrived, and even less when he had offered help for his brother.

He was supposed to hate him, wasn't he? According to what he knew – which wasn't much – the Lannisters had been involved with his brother's accident. Could it be that the Imp felt guilty about it? Mayhap that was the reason why he had brought a present – or perhaps he was telling the truth and he did have a fascination for all things broken.

Grey Wind walked beside him as his best ally. He had been threatening the intruder with his brothers right in the middle of the hall, right where he could see the half-man trembling but disguising his fear with clever lines that only served to upset him more. He had no right to insult his manners - and warm welcomes were reserved for friends not for the likes of him and his kin.

If he had been a child, he would've taken place beside his father because he had wisdom and strength, something he felt he would never gain.

At least he had been able to keep hidden the biggest secret he had at the moment. Even if she was furious about it.

The night was colder than usual and he knew it was because summer was ending. Soon they would have to endure famine and ration the food but he couldn't see himself going through it. He, like his siblings, was a summer child – he had no memory of the last winter.

Reaching his chambers, he motioned to the guard outside to let him in. And like he suspected, inside his wife was pacing around as a caged animal, nervous and furious.

It was Grey Wind who made a noise that called her attention, maybe because just like him, he could smell in the air as if something had been burned.

Daenerys looked at him, full of rage but soon her eyes turned soft on him and he knew he didn't look like his usual self. "What happened?"

"Nothing," he answered curtly.

"You're in a foul mood," she said quietly. And it was evident. What did she expect?

"I thought you liked me better in a foul mood," he snapped back. But as soon as he did, he felt a pang of guilt. She wasn't at fault for what was happening to his family – she had been barely a baby. She had lost all her family and here he was sulking when he still had brothers and sisters, parents and friends.

She stood in front of him, all pale skin – Lady Snowdrop, the children had said around the castle and it fitted her, Robb thought. He wasn't sure she would've liked the name, though. She didn't seem to be fond of the nothmen after all.

His head sagged but his blue eyes searched for her.

Was what he felt when Tyrion Lannister put a foot in his home the same she felt for him? That hatred he couldn't explain, knowing that those like him had hurt his family. Maybe the man himself hadn't done a thing but through his veins ran the same blood.

"Not that much," she babbled.

A stubborn smile formed on his lips.

After a few seconds of silence, in which she found place in an old chair where his mother used to sit all through the night when he was sick, he finally dared to ask, "Do you hate me?"

She seemed surprised by the question. And she was already uncomfortable with the strange love Grey Wind had for her, always being close, like then lying down at her feet – that wolf had a death wish.

"I said, and I meant it because I don't hate you. I wasn't even alive during most part of King Robert's Rebellion," he spoke and she visibly stiffened at the undeserving title according to her. "Sorry," he muttered, very uncomfortable as he gripped the edge of their lair.

"Before I came here, I thought I should. I had heard the stories of the way they brutally murdered my family." Daenerys sighed and her violet eyes met his. "Betrayed, offended. The Usurper not only took the throne from us but everything."

"It was the Kingslayer. Jamie Lannister murdered your father."

"And the same Lannisters are the ones you blame for making your brother a cripple?" she asked in an even voice, as if she was made of ice and this didn't affect her. He wondered if the years of lacking a loving mother could freeze a person's heart because even if he and his siblings had grown in the North, they couldn't hide the warmth inside them.

"Yes," he replied simply.

"I want his head on a spike," she confessed and reached for Grey Wind, petting his thick fur. "I want revenge and I want them to suffer as much as I did. Should I hide that?"

"It's only fair."

"Your father brought me back while your King wanted me dead. You think I don't know?"

Robb stood up, tall but humble. Her gaze followed him.

"I don't hate you, Robb. But I don't know if maybe one day I will." She stood as well and approached him.

He wondered since the day they had seen each other for the first time – since their wedding – if her skin was as soft as it looked like because the one time they had kissed, that time they had touched, it wasn't nearly enough to learn her body. He had refrained himself of doing anything because he was scared of failing to his father and forgetting his mission, all because he couldn't keep his head clear.

That first night, her hair smelt like sea salt and her skin as if it had been kissed by sunlight. She was haunting.

"I don't know if one day I'll have to hate you because you'll betray me. And you will hand me over to my enemies because it'll buy you your kingdom. And I won't be able to blame you because it's a risk I took when I accepted your father's offer."

"You're my wife," he babbled. "We're bond for life."

She smiled at him. "I don't understand how you can call me a wife when you haven't bedded me. I certainly don't know why you are so loyal to me when you have gotten nothing in return." Her hand cupped the side of his face, his beard thick after days of missing a proper shave.

The way her fingers brushed against his skin comforted him in a way he had needed – in a way no one could have done at that moment because he had to pretend to be strong and a true Lord. He couldn't confide his fears in Theon because he would mock him and Maester Luwin would just tell him that this was his place and he had nothing to fear. He missed Jon, as well.

She shivered and that forced her to pull her hand away. Her clothes were too thin for this weather.

He frowned when he looked and saw the hem of her dress burnt. "What happened to your dress?" Robb asked and she looked down at the brown spot in her pale pink dress.

"I, I got too close to the heart and I burnt my dress," she replied nervously and avoided his eyes.

"You need warmer clothes. I'll get you some furs and more fitting clothes."

"Robb, I don't like grey," Dany said and then Grey Wind made a little whining sound. Robb and her shared a smile and then laughed a little.

"You wounded him."

"I'm sure he'll live. Besides, I could make an exception with him and like this one Grey."

Robb nodded. "I'll look for a seamstress tomorrow. I'm sure we'll find something other than grey for the fabric as well."

Daenerys wrapped her arms tighter around her body and then nodded. She was freezing but wasn't about to admit it to him. And as everything he did, Robb just followed his instinct and shrugged his coat off to wrap it around her, to protect her like he felt was his duty. But when he did, he got closer to her and this time, it was him who planted his lips firmly on hers because she was too tempting and he was just a man. Barely a man.

In his arms, he held her tight and sipped from her lips as if he were drinking the sweetest wine in the realm. His hands snuck under the coat to hold her possessively by the waist, learning the curve of her hips. He felt dizzy when she gasped for air but couldn't stop himself – his lips ran up her jaw, down her neck.

"Robb," she whispered and her fingers dug on his shoulders.

"You're my wife," he growled and she just cradled his face to kiss him again, wordlessly letting him know she _was_ his wife and she was giving him her permission because no man had asked for it before him.

It was a very cold night in Winterfell but they were safely hidden in their bedchambers. It was a moonless night, cloudy and dark outside but Robb's was as shine as they could be, with Daenerys' pale and soft skin against his, warm with touches and kisses.

"You're my husband, Wolf," she spoke softly, running her finger through his messy nest of hair. "Mine."

He said nothing and only kissed her naked shoulder before lying next to her.

He didn't want to think about the meaning of her words, about belonging to someone, because he feared that meant he'd do anything for her – a wild wolf protecting his mate.

-o-

Robb woke up to kisses showering his chest and shoulders. He wanted to laugh like a boy who had just discovered the wonder of a woman's body. A delighted smile was carved on his face as Daenerys greeted him that morning.

"What's with you?" He asked and frowned as she sat back on her haunches, not complaining about the cold despite her nakedness. "One day you hate me and now you shower me with affection. Who understands a woman like you? Is this a thing Dothrakis do?"

She smacked his chest. "I do like you better in a foul mood."

"Your insolence will lead me to a bad mood."

"Insolence? What am I, your servant?"

"What do you want to be, my equal?" he quipped but she tilted her head to the side, considering the thought.

"I want to be your queen," she admitted. "I want you to kneel before me because you should worship me."

And that was what he was afraid he'd do if he didn't think before acting around her. He wasn't careful enough and he doubted his father and mother would be pleased if they found out what was going on between them.

"If you're my queen then I'll be a king."

"You must learn to behave like a king. Demand, don't ask for permission and take what's yours like a conqueror." She wrapped a thin robe around her and thanks to the morning light, little did it leave to the imagination – not that he had much to imagine after the previous night.

"Were you my first conquest?" he quipped and her eyebrow rose.

"I doubt I was your first conquest, Wolf. You didn't seem like a blushing virgin to me. Am I mistaken?"

A raucous laughter was born in his chest. He had indeed bedded a few girls before her, all for the sake of not being that blushing virgin she expected. Theon had been the one urging him and Jon to chase after girls and he had told them raunchy stories of his own to encourage them to have their owns.

"Are you jealous?"

"No." She smiled over her shoulder as she stood in front of the heart. "Because wolves are loyal and you're the leader of your pack. You wouldn't dare to betray me or your family, would you?"

Was he supposed to be afraid that she knew him so well after just a couple of days? Was he that easy to read?

"Your teeth are showing, Dragon," he teased and she made a tiny noise that let him know she didn't appreciate the name. "Are you about to sink your claws into me? Am I that precious to you?"

"You mean nothing," she spat and for a second she sounded more serious than he had ever heard her. His stomach churned realizing that he must've been right and he should've never trusted her to begin with. He had been weak.

"Just a wolf," he murmured.

But then she frowned as if she had been confused herself. "And then you're everything I have," she muttered softly. "The only thing."

Her eyes were wide and honest and he felt sorry for her because she probably thought so. And he wondered why Robert Baratheon feared her so much when she was a girl who had nothing, who wanted to build an empire from the ashes of her family's reign.

He sat up in bed. "You're mine, Dragon."

"And you're my wolf."

They stood there, weighing each other's words. It was sad that he couldn't know if she spoke the truth but he knew she doubted him as well.

It was in that moment that they heard the noises outside their chambers, a fuss without reason.

"Hide," Robb ordered and Dany scowled at him. "Hide," he repeated and reached for his sword.

He was only in breeches and it was obvious he didn't look intimidating at all but he was the one who carried a weapon.

She kept glaring at him until a frantic knocking on the door led him to open it, only to find Irri looking pale and scared. "Khaleesi," she uttered looking at Dany. "I'm sorry but he escaped and I couldn't stop him."

"He?" Robb wondered out loud but his wife was already putting more clothes on, hurrying herself to leave the room. He grabbed her by the arm and frowned. "Explain."

"I can't," she whispered. "I need to find him before he gets hurt or… burns something."

"Burn? What are you talking about?"

She sighed and looked at him afraid, as if he could hurt her. "My dragons. One of them, Drogon, is missing."


	5. Lies

**I wanted to post this to celebrate the 150th follower of this story but you reached that number faster than I could write this chapter.  
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**Thank you, as always, for your words and in exchange, I'll give you these.**

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**_Chapter 5 : Lies_**

She had run at the mention of one of her dragons being missing. Ignoring the protest of her new husband, she had left him behind and started a frenetic search for one of her babies – for one of the last three dragons who, like her, had reborn from fire in the middle of the desert. He would never understand what they meant to her and that was why she couldn't listen to Robb.

"Stop!" He shouted in a commanding voice and she could hear his footsteps approaching fast behind her. Of course, he was taller and knew the castle like the back of his hand. "I said, stop," he hissed and yanked her by the arm.

"He's missing. I need to find him before something happens," she spat with fury. She wouldn't have stopped him if Grey Wind would have been the one missing but he couldn't seem to understand this was her family as well.

"Dragons. You're speaking of dragons?"

And soon she understood that this wasn't about her need to run away from him when something else called her. This wasn't about his wounded ego after a night full of passion she never thought could live inside a cold northman. This was about the legends dragons were.

"I cannot answer your questions now. My dragon is missing." And she escaped from his grasp, hurrying down the hall with Grey Wind on tow while Robb stood there, astounded.

Was it right of her to hide her secret like that? Yes. Absolutely, because like a mother, she was protecting her children. She knew if Eddard Stark or Robert Baratheon – or anyone – found out she had three dragons, three of the most powerful creatures men had been able to tame, she would be murdered, no questions asked. If anyone knew, she would be a bigger threat than what she already was.

It was Grey Wind who stopped her from entering the part of the castle where most of the servants were – where she would be seen by everyone and then the rumors would grow and they would travel to King's Landing and before she could realize, she would be beheaded at the hands of the Usurper. The direwolf instead led her back to the chambers of the Stark children, to Bran's to be exact.

Why she trusted that wolf, she couldn't say. But she followed him and Irri did her best to keep up as well.

Hodor was outside the door, looking the same as always but Dany could hear the commotion of the boys inside Robb's brother's chambers. As soon as she was inside, she saw Drogon standing at the feet of Bran's bed, smoke coming out of his snout while Summer – Bran's wolf – stared at him.

"Is it yours?" Bran asked excitedly while Rickon tried to pick on the angry little dragon's wind, provoking the thunderous whining of her Drogon.

"Yes."

"I thought dragons would be bigger," Bran added quickly, while Rickon was almost bitten on one finger – at that Shaggydog pulled on her dragon's tail and Dany feared the animals would fight to the death but they were pups and only seemed to play with each other.

"They are still too young," she answered, studying with fascination how the animals seemed to get along – much like she was surprised when Robb didn't want to kill her that first night or the many ones after that. "They will grow and flight, breathe fire like the ones before them."

"They?" Rickon asked, looking up.

"I have three," she replied and soon Drogon was perched on her right shoulder, his claws tangling with her platinum hair.

The glimmer of hope in Rickon's eyes only told her that she would more likely than not find him chasing her dragons. That this pup would be playful with her dragons and mayhap that would be trouble but it would also be a lot of help – not to keep her children hidden anymore.

"Do they all breathe fire?" Bran asked. "Old Nan tells us stories about dragons breathing ice. I don't believe her. But I thought all dragons had died."

"No," Dany muttered simply. "They are born from fire. They are strong again."

"Will you ride them?"

"If they get big enough. And if they don't, they will still be by my side."

"Like our direwolves," Bran said. "Our house's animal. We each have one to take care of us."

Daenerys smiled at him. Wasn't he right? Did other houses have such a strong bond with their sigils?

She was surprised when the weight of Drogon left her shoulder and then she saw how the small dragon decided that a much better spot was being on Grey Wind's back. The wolf complained for a moment but soon he grew accustomed and the claws didn't dig deep enough to hurt him.

"You're very observant, you know? You're quite smart," Dany praised but the moment was interrupted when Robb stormed in, enraged.

He stood still, scowling at the reptile that had found a comfortable place on his wolf's back.

She didn't know what he was thinking or what would happen. Daenerys only knew that if he spoke a word about killing them – her dragons – she would kill him. He had no right just like she didn't have any rights over his wolf.

"Where are the others?"

She didn't utter a word nor made any movement that indicated anything.

"Daenerys, where are they?" His voice was commanding like boys who had just become men shouldn't be. He couldn't see it but she did – inside him there was more passion and strength than he thought, more leadership than what his father had. Robb hadn't been born to follow others or at least not to do so if he wasn't head of the plans.

"Hidden."

"How? Why didn't you tell me?" he growled through clenched teeth and behind her she could feel the younger Starks clearly afraid. Robb was an authority figure – caring but firm.

"They are mine and I had no reason to tell you," she replied haughtily. She wouldn't show fear to him because she wasn't scared anymore. Long ago she used to be a scared girl who was beaten by her brother, a girl who was seen as a commodity in a game and a girl who had been married to a khal just to gain soldiers and power. Now she was a woman.

"You think you had no reason but as it turns out, I'm protecting you and you manipulated me to smuggle those… things here." He was menacing, teeth showing as he tried to keep his voice even but stern. "You know what would happen if the King finds out? Dragons, Daenerys! If they grow to be like they once were… the Seven Kingdoms could burn."

"I only want to see them burn," she murmured, looking at him in the eye.

"You want me dead. You want to see me and my family all dead. If anyone finds out, they will kill us for treason. I should kill you before that happens." His blue eyes, always bright seemed to turn like the ocean during a storm. He seemed to grow bigger and menacing.

"Then kill me. I'm sure you will be rewarded for such brave act, murdering a woman and three dragons that are not bigger than lizards. So courageous." She was furious at him but she knew this was a possibility when she accepted the deal – so she saw death as an outcome she would have to face sooner or later.

Instead of hitting her like Viserys would have done or growling and demining her like Drogo, both for being a stupid woman, Robb took her by the arm, not hard enough to hurt her but enough to let her know who was in charge, and led her out of Bran's room.

"You're a shrew," he hissed without remorse and her eyes widened. Never had she been spoken to like that, almost as if they were two kids bickering. "You play your part so well, I almost believed you and then you go and stab me on the back."

She slapped him, hard across the face. She had never raised her hand before and much less to a man who was physically superior to her but she had thought it was necessary.

He touched his cheek but didn't flinch. His blue eyes sparkled with something she couldn't figure out.

"This isn't about you. It's much bigger than your ego-"

He shook his head. "No. You're right. It is my father the one who'll pay for your mistakes this time. He'll be killed because this will be known. You betrayed me."

Her heart sunk and she stood there looking at him until he heaved a painful sigh and turned away to leave her there. Alone.

Had she done something so awful it couldn't be forgiven? Had she ruined her chances to get him to work on her favor? She certainly knew one day he would find out but she hoped he would have been enchanted by her.

"Don't tell him!" She shouted and he turned around.

"I can't. This is my secret too. My brothers' and Winterfell's. You're my wife, the Lady of Winterfell when my mother is away. Your secrets are mine and mine are yours. I'll pay the price as you will."

"You don't have to."

"You're wrong."

Robb Stark was foolishly loyal but impressively brave and she would need to return these favors one day. That, or she would need to start digging for his secrets to get them even.

-o-

"He needs to be pleased," Doreah advised.

A little smile was placed on Dany's lips because Doreah always blamed the bed for a man's anger. Now was not the exception. Yes, Robb was still furious because of what she had hidden under his nose, in his house, and had gone as far as to not sleep with her – she pointed that out and all she got in reply was that many lords and ladies were married but did not share a bed.

Truth was she missed him sleeping next to her – his warmth, she would say but she also liked his scent clinging to the pillows or the light sound of his snores. The only companion she had now at night was Grey Wind, as her most loyal guard. The direwolf had picked her to spend the night with, but Robb couldn't seem to mind that much even if he was a bit jealous, he trusted in his pet more than in any man.

"Maybe he needs time," Jhiqui said, feeding Rhaegal. She was the shiest of her maidens but sometimes she saw life with new eyes.

"He needs to ride," Irri said confidently. "He's a good rider." That was something they were surprised about – they didn't think people in the Seven Kingdoms could ride well and they hadn't heard about the Dornish sand steeds. "That'll clear his head."

Maybe but Dany doubted that was all Robb needed.

She wasn't used to someone being angry at her in such fashion. Viserys usually just hit her, sometimes brutally so, and Drogo had never felt the need of doing more than growling at her.

"He's a good rider, Khaleesi?" Doreah asked with a tiny and knowing smirk that Daenerys decided to ignore because such insolence could have been very well punished.

"He's the Lord of Winterfell," Daenerys replied. "As such, he's the best at everything in his kingdom," she added and smoothed her dress, signaling for them to leave her alone to take her dragons to the room Theon had not very gracefully prepared for them under Robb's orders.

She wandered around the permitted areas of Winterfell, the ones where most people wouldn't be able to see her. Sometimes the secrecy made her feel trapped. For so long she hadn't even had a roof over her head, always moving and traveling and now she had very little room for her to move.

Thanks to the hot springs, Winterfell was quite warm compared to the outside. And warmer inside the glass garden, which she had grown fond of over the last couple of days. It was like an oasis in the middle of such a cold and hard place.

There were beautiful flowers and plants, vegetables and fruits that looked ready to be eaten. She liked it there, to feel like she didn't belong to that world but to her own.

She was studying those particularly exotic blue winter roses that seemed to be frozen in time with their pale blue hues decorating the garden. The shade of the buds reminded her of Robb's eyes.

"My aunt loved those," Robb's voice startled her and she turned around to face him. "And it's said that your brother loved my aunt."

"Love cost us everything," she responded.

"So you've decided you don't believe in love?"

He looked so out of place in the colorful garden, all in greys and blacks with his pale skin and cold eyes, but she thought that when he was a child, he must have run around with his reddish hair in tune with a happy place.

She remained quiet until she asked, "What are you doing here? I thought you were avoiding me."

"I was in the Godswood. My father used to go there when he needed to think. I guessed it was a good place for me to be." He crouched next to her and then with his bare hands, he plucked a rose and handed it to her. "Do you know what happens when ice and fire get too close?"

"The ice melts and as water, it extinguishes fire," she muttered and felt when he perched the thornless rose on her ear.

"I won't apologize because you lied to me when I've done nothing but to keep you safe."

"Your father doesn't want just that."

"It's me we're talking about. It's I who is with you." His voice was hard but it held a sweet tone as well.

She smiled down at her lap. "Are you afraid you could melt? Is that why you don't sleep next to your wife anymore?"

His smile was present again and for that little she felt relief.

If once a dragon had fallen for a wolf, could that happen again? Could the stories of a love so great be true? When Rhaegar had fallen madly in love with Lyanna Stark, they risked everything – even if the Usurper called it kidnapping – Daenerys knew by the stories she had heard, that her eldest brother wouldn't have done such a horrible thing.

It wasn't Rhaegar's fault if Lyanna had fallen for him as well. Robert Baratheon was infatuated with the woman, but it didn't mean she had to love him back.

A wolf and a dragon had been the reason for a war, for a change.

Would that be possible again? And would they win this time?


	6. Ravens

**As usual, you surprise me with the reviews and alerts, and I want to thank you for them.**

**There are many interesting opinions among you about how different things would've turned out if Robb and Daenerys had fought as one army. I certainly hope to do it some justice (because it is impossible to explore all the results without taking years to write this story).  
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**_Chapter 6 : Ravens_**

Coddling. He was coddling her and it was the most bizarre experience of his life.

Had this happened between other Lords and Ladies when married despite not knowing each other? He had certainly never seen his father being overly sweet with his mother – though they did share a bond deeper than the one he had seen between the King and Queen during their brief visit to Winterfell. Until that day, Robb believed it was normal to have parents who cared about the other, who had as many children as the Old Gods would allow.

Glancing at Dany in front of the heart with her dragons, he realized that even if she had played the part of woman just like he was playing the part of man now that his father was away, there was a lot of child left in them.

During nights they permanently lived in between those worlds – sharing childhood games and stories but exploring their bodies like grown people did.

And he noticed she smiled more often, she laughed from the heart and she was slowly losing the reflex of flinching whenever he got close to her at night, at his sudden movements. She also enjoyed spending time with his brothers, giving a lot of it to Bran who was no longer the active boy he had been before the fall.

She told him stories about Dothraki people and their horses whenever he doubted he would be able to ride in that new chair for his horse.

"Will you let me ride your dragons if they ever get big enough?" had asked Bran and Dany was quiet for a second. Maybe she was scared herself to ride those winged beasts.

"Yes," she replied resolute. "If they let us ride them, you can."

Bran seemed content with that answer and, for the first time in a long time, he let himself curve his lips in a small smile.

Meanwhile, as the Lord of Winterfell, he had to pay attention to the everyday problems. Before he had only served as a witness to his father work, something he did to learn as the rightful heir of the Starks.

Robb was overseeing the stock of fodder, seeing as they would soon need to ration it when winter finally arrived.

Never before had occurred to him that his father had found himself in similar circumstances. Eddard Stark wasn't who was supposed to rule the North, at least not when he was so young. That was his uncle Brandon. But his father had done a good job, avenging the death of his siblings, as a Lord, as a father and in every role he had to take.

Robb was afraid he'd never be as good as him.

-o-

He had just received a raven with a message from his mother, telling him that she had taken Tyrion Lannister as prisoner and that she was taking him to the Eyrie, where his aunt Lysa ruled since her husband, Jon Arryn, had died.

Robb sighed, knowing what it meant for him and his brothers. His mother wouldn't return soon. Rickon would be in the same bad mood he'd been since most of their family had departed and Bran would be aloof for he couldn't be the adventurous boy he had been. In the meantime, he would have to deal with them and his duties as Lord and new husband, with dragons and direwolves.

He let his head fall onto his hands, elbows on the desk.

He wasn't tired but he felt useless.

"Tell Theon to stop bedding my maidens," Daenerys voice said, sounding annoyed and demanding, like a willful girl.

Robb arched an eyebrow at her and saw her with her arms folded over her chest. She looked like a blue winter rose in her new dress – beautiful.

He snorted a laugh. "I'm assuming he's not taking them by force."

"No. But I would appreciate he didn't take them as if they were here to please him."

"Dany."

"I need them to help me with my dragons. They are getting bigger and need constant care so they don't misbehave." She walked closer to him and flattened her hands over the desk. She looked into his eyes as menacingly as she could. "Tell him or I will."

"Fine," he breathed out. He didn't feel like arguing at the moment and she was taken aback by how easy he had come to agree with her.

"When?"

"As soon as I see him. Now, is there anything else you need?"

"Many things but you will say no to most of them."

He stood up and smiled tiredly at her. She was indeed full of fire and fought constantly for her right to walk freely around Winterfell, to ride her horse and to just not hide anymore. It was too dangerous for many people – especially for them.

"But I would appreciate your help to feed my dragons since I can't find Doreah or Jhiqui." Dany clasped her hands in front of her and Grey Wind, at his side, seemed mesmerized by her.

Maybe it was true that each of the direwolves was like its owner because Robb had found himself thinking about Daenerys often, and most of the times it was because she offered a shelter to this life. She was the one who made him forget all the troubles but at the same time had created them all.

-o-

He cursed one more time when Drogon tried to bite his finger again.

Daenerys laughed at his deep scowl.

"I believe he's not fond of me," he muttered sullenly while feeding Rhaegal, her green dragon, who acted much better than his brothers, at least towards him.

"He's very good friends with Grey Wind, though." Daenerys pointed out at the dragon standing over the direwolf's back. They also played together and curled on the floor due to the heat the dragons brought.

It had been especially disturbing to see Rickon napping while next to Viserion – the best behaved dragon as far as Robb knew. The white dragon was quite attached to Bran, as well, since they seemed to share a bond not even Daenerys could comprehend. All in all, Bran had a great communication with animals, like with his direwolf, Summer.

Robb shook his head. "Never thought this would be one of my duties as husband."

"I never thought we'd sleep with a direwolf in our bedchambers but I haven't argued with you about it." She was gracious as she took care of her _babies_. "It's only fair."

He watched her encouraging her dragons to spit fire, flames even if they were just colorful sparks, because they had been doing it at the most inopportune times lately – like that dress of hers they had burned without intention. And the last thing they wanted was to see someone screaming about a fire inside the castle or direwolves with furs charred by those three lizards.

Irri shot him a shy glance as she fed Viserion.

Of all her maidens, Irri was the closest to Daenerys and Robb had noticed her studying him. Sometimes it felt like she disapproved of him and how different he was from her people. Others, it felt as if she was measuring him, studying him whenever he happened to be around her _khaleesi_.

And regarding that title, he didn't hold much fondness for it. But that was his wife, the one with many titles that had never meant much. She was entitled to be Queen and play as Lady of Winterfell when his mother was away, but she was none of that at the same time.

Mother of Dragons didn't look like the fearsome woman others made her look like. In fact, right then she was joyously laughing at the curiosity it caused on Rhaegal Robb's curly and reddish hair.

"He better doesn't make a nest while I'm asleep," Robb jested and received a reproachful but amused glare from Dany as she took her dragon away from him.

Some days it felt as if this was a normal life, that he was still a boy romancing a young lady. But then history and wars, mad kings and wolves, winters and summers cast a large shadow over them, menacingly.

Maybe – and he would never say this aloud – his aunt Lyanna had run away with Rhaegar because they wanted more than what others had written for them. Maybe they could ignore history and write it however they wanted.

-o-

"Have you had news of your mother?" Dany asked as she brushed her hair before bed.

He was sat, pulling his boots off and the question took him by surprise. Lifting his gaze to stare at her, he met her questioning and also truth-inducing eyes.

Daenerys sighed. "You received a letter from her today. I'm not a fool, Robb. I was trying to be polite but if you'd rather see me searching for news by myself, fine. I'll read that letter." As if she wouldn't already have done it if that was the case.

"She took Tyrion Lannister as prisoner," he prattled emotionlessly.

She looked as if she knew what he was saying and soon he knew she had spoken the truth.

"Why do you ask if you're a such a good spy you found out by yourself?" He stressed his words with anger. She had no right to go through his personal possessions – even if she was his wife, a man kept secrets and more so in his current position. "Why don't you tell me what's happening? Do tell, my lady, because I sure have no idea why _my mother_ had to take the Imp as prisoner while I let him walk away, knowing his family's involvement in my brother's accident!"

Daenerys kept quiet, only looking at him and his outburst. He had always been composed, cold-blooded and never driven by impulse but now he had lost all of that.

"Tell me why I couldn't behave like a true man and my mother had to defend our honor." He grunted with frustration before turning around and smacking his open hands against the wall. "I'm not the man my father wanted me to be."

Amidst his diatribe, she had walked to him. Daenerys placed a hand over his shoulder, trying to appease him.

"Had you taken him as prisoner, you would've attracted unwanted attention upon the North – upon us. The Lannister would have raised an army to come for him and you're not ready for it. You have no army to defend it. So in my opinion, you did well. You protected your people and your family."

He looked at her, so serene and sweet, and wondered if she was being honest, if she wasn't using his insecurities as a weapon against him, to manipulate him in ways he hadn't previously known. Theon had always warned him about the dangers of smart women but he hadn't been a victim until that moment.

"Didn't you want to confront him and let him know the rightful heir of the Iron Throne was back?" he prodded to see if she was able to come up with a believable reply.

"I'm not known for making the best decisions when facing the enemy – especially when I despise them. It is better to plan things before an encounter."

"Strategies?"

"Yes. And if you agree, I believe it would be in our best interest to do this together."

"Speak in no riddles, Dany," he warned, knowing very well where this was going, what was developing in front of him and he wasn't quite sure he wanted to be a part of it.

"I need you to help me get the Iron Throne back. And in return, I'll help you by giving you and your family the North. We will be allies and rule the Seven Kingdoms."

Was this what stories said about Targaryen madness? She couldn't be asking him this.

"Dany, I have no army. You said it."

"Call your bannermen. The Targaryen loyalists will come as soon as they heard I'm back-" she recited in an excited tone. He needed to stop her before she believed her nonsense.

Robb held her by the shoulders and smiled sympathetically at her. "I cannot rise against the King for no reason. My father is the Hand – it would be treason. We could end up dead. All of us."

She became disheartened, her eyes looking away. She was embarrassed and angry, her cheeks were bathed in a deep shade of pink that looked precious on her pale skin.

"Dany," he called. The eyes that met his weren't the same vibrant violet ones he saw smiling at him when they fought in the snow or the ones that danced in happiness when she told stories of dragons and of her adventures in Essos. In them flicked a flame of hurt and fury. "Don't do this. You're one woman against many armies. What you desire is no easy feat."

She remained silent and it bothered him.

"Daenerys, Princess of Dragonstone, Mother of Dragons," he spoke slowly, hoping she would look at him. She did. "Lady of Winterfell. So much you've done, maybe you'll prove me wrong and will sit on the Iron Throne." He cradled her face and pressed a tender kiss to her forehead.

She curled her fingers around his wrists and he felt her pulling him closer, keeping his contact as long as she could.

Moments like this proved him she needed to be cared for. She wasn't running away anymore and he would make sure of it. He'd keep her safe.

"I'm tired," he whispered, letting her press the side of her face against his shoulder while he rubbed her back up and down. "Would you join me?"

"Yes. I'm exhausted as well."

And she pretended she hadn't opened up to him, she hadn't said a thing. But he pretended that he hadn't been weak for a minute, and that he hadn't needed her for reassurance.

They lay together in bed wrapped up in each other under the furs, like children looking for comfort. He tangled his fingers in her long hair to kiss her gently, and she let him – it felt good knowing she wasn't pushing him away for not agreeing with her plans but he knew she was frustrated.

He was about to fall asleep when with her head buried in his chest, Dany murmured, "Maybe one day."

It was so soft, he didn't have time to make sense of it.

-o-

Morning came with disturbance as Maester Luwin interrupted their peaceful slumber.

"A raven has arrived from King's Landing," the old man said in his usual soft but firm voice. "The King has died."


	7. The Uprising

**Many thanks for your reviews. I wish I could reply to them, so please don't be offended if I do not - it's hard to have time to even write the chapters and I'm quite sure you'd rather see an update than a silly little message from me.  
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**Here's a chapter I hope you like, since things are getting more interesting now.**

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**_Chapter 7 : The Uprising_**

For her, hearing about the Usurper's death was like her soul had been awakened. This was her chance to sit back in her rightful place, take the Iron Throne that was hers by blood. And so immersed she was in her own world, that she couldn't listen or pay attention to Robb's reaction.

The rightful king according to many was Robert Baratheon's son, Joffrey, but he was still too young for such title. Maester Luwin suggested that, if the King had been smart – which wasn't a trait he was known for – then he would have made Eddard Stark Regent and Protector of the Realm until Joffey reached his sixteenth nameday.

Good, Dany thought. That gave her plenty of time to prepare so she could make it to King's Landing. Meanwhile, she knew that if Eddard had raised a boy like Robb, he would be a good Regent. She only really cared about conceiving a plan and also gathering an army until she had to face the Lannisters and Baratheons, and all of their men.

"He should send a letter soon," Maester Luwin said to Robb. The young Lord just nodded. "Your father is a very measured and intelligent man, my Lord. He'll make sure we are aware of his plans."

After that, the old maester left their chambers as silently as he could.

Robb was sat on the bed, brows furrowed and confusion marred his handsome features. She smoothed a hand down his back, kneeling next to him.

"Does this mean I will be Lord of Winterfell?" he muttered to no one.

Just a few days before, he had killed three men defending Bran. The guilt he felt was so overpowering, she thought mercy was his only flaw. To be a true ruler, you needed to remember those who had been murdered by your sword and also the reasons behind it to see them as just kills.

Luckily for him, he understood fast. Though, he has still kept that woman of the Free Folk as a servant.

"This means the reign of the Usurper is over," she spoke in a soft voice while playing with his hair. "This means your father can give me back the Seven Kingdoms." She let herself smile at the thought. She was so close to put her hands in something her brother had longed for since childhood. Her happines lived shortly though.

Robb's glare fell upon her as if the weight of a hundred stones had fallen upon her shoulders. "Do you solely care about your plans? Have you even thought about what this means for my family? Have you thought of what other houses might do now that Robert Baratheon has died? They swore loyalty to him. Not my father or anyone else."

He got out of be as quick as he could, leaving her alone and astonished.

Surely she had proved him she was more than that. Had she not? The North and its people was a seed slowly taking roots inside her, just like dothrakis once had done. And more importantly, he was part of her life.

"Robb?"

"I need to busy myself. There are many of my duties I've been disregarding lately," he explained in a cold voice as he dressed himself. The sound of the leather of his clothes cracked through the air.

It was strange because this, his words and his sudden cold demeanor, made her feel ashamed. She had never felt the need of covering her body but she did then, as if he had told her she repulsed him.

She didn't know what to say to make sure all the progress they had made hadn't been lost. Looking at him with wide eyes, hoping that as usual he could make a promise that his anger would fade. He would go back to her to hold her under the furs, to bury his nose in her hair and sip gently from her lips while they pleased each other.

He did nothing of those sorts.

And when he shut the door behind him, her heart clenched painfully and her stomach dropped. She didn't want to lose him over her lust for power because he represented family, the only thing she wanted as much as the throne – those things she hadn't had.

-o-

Irri had braided her hair while Jhiqui praised her new dresses, though she still believed they were too modest and hid her body. They also complained about their clothes and that it was too cold for their old outfits. Dany smiled at them.

At her feet, Grey Wind lay enjoying how Doreah brushed his fur. He was still a pup, ferocious and loyal, much like his owner, and like Robb, he enjoyed to be pampered in the privacy of their chambers.

For the rest of the morning, she wandered around the Great Keep, playing with Rickon for a while and sitting with Bran for another. She felt restless and as if Robb had been avoiding her. And if that was the case, she let him and asked for her food to be brought to their chambers.

She was making her way to the library, the only place she could find something better to do than sit and admire her dragons, as much as she loved them – Old Nan had a good laugh when she told her no one had taught her to sew or embroider, like most ladies did. But as she turned around one corner, she caught sight of Maester Luwin walking as fast as his collar allowed him and with vitality she hadn't seen before.

"What's happening?" she wondered and the man slowed down but kept on going.

"Lord Eddard has been taken prisoner. Joffrey is now King of the Seven Kingdoms."

"What?" she hissed with venom and the old man finally looked at her. "That cannot be."

"A raven arrived with a command from the new King, summoning the Lord of Winterfell to swear fealty to him." Maester Luwin sighed and looked at her with as much sweetness as he looked at the Stark children. "Robb has called the banners."

Her eyes widened and, inside her chest, her heart thumped wildly.

"He's declaring war?" she stated in an even voice that didn't seem to belong to her.

"They have Lord Eddard and his sisters. They accused him of treason."

"He's not ready." Daenerys shook her head, finally seeing things under the same light Robb saw them months back. "He's too young, too kind-hearted."

"No," the master said firmly. "He's a man who's acting as expected, as the true Lord of Winterfell. No one can tell us when the time for us to prove us will arrive, milady, but that time does arrive."

She stood rooted to the spot but Maester Luwin kept on walking.

"Wait," Dany called and followed him. "I need to speak with you."

"About your sudden interest in recent history, Lady Daenerys?" He asked with a knowing smile. "I'm afraid I have no time for such thing now."

"You know what I've been doing."

"An old man is… quiet, and people tend to ignore us."

"I need to know which houses are loyal to mine. And soon, so I can know who to call when Robb needs help." She clutched the book she was carrying to her chest.

"He won't like it," he advised in a fatherly tone.

She knew quite well Robb would disapprove but he gave her no choice. She wasn't about to let him march South without knowing for sure she would serve him as help. Besides, she had great interest on the outcome of this war. The only thing she hadn't expected was Robb declaring war before her.

"I'm not about to let him die on the hands of a Lannister. I won't lose anyone else to them and certainly not my husband." She couldn't imagine herself losing someone else, especially one who had taken care of her when he had no reason to. Robb could've kept her as a prisoner. He could have hated her. Instead he had treated her as his lawful wife and as a lady.

"As you wish. Follow me."

Soon ravens were flying in every direction across the northern skies. It would have been a beautiful sight had Daenerys not known what messages they carried.

-o-

Only for men, he claimed. A feast for his bannermen before they left for war, to talk about their plans and strategies.

And in the meantime, she held onto her seal, something Viserys had kept with him but that she now held as a precious item that could serve to prove her identity once she decided to send those ravens to her allies. Maester Luwin had helped her making a list of those houses that would join her cause.

Dorne would be by her side as always. Also the maester pointed out that she could make offers to lesser houses to join her cause – exchange of titles for men. It was well known that if a good offer was made to the Tyrells, they could join them to finally destroy the Lannisters.

Still, none of this put her heart at ease. There was a lot to do, to search for if she wanted to be absolutely sure no one would betray them, because in this game, anyone was a potential threat.

When he finally walked into their chambers, Dany saw a man and not the boy she had married. The weight of his family and kingdom rested on his shoulders.

She quickly got on her feet but then her gaze fell upon Grey Wind's bloody snout.

Her brow furrowed. "What happened?"

"A little quarrel, you could say," Robb replied but not hinting that he was preparing himself to go to bed.

"Is everything fine?" She approached him and tried to help him with his cloak but he stopped her. "Robb?"

"We're marching tonight," he said in a stern voice.

She felt her mouth going dry and her stomach in knots. "You cannot. You barely have a plan and-"

"And what? I have all I need. The banners are ready and I am ready to take my family back," he enunciated carefully, with enough wrath she could be aware that he was serious, that he would not return until he achieved his goal.

She had never seen it before but Robb Stark was just like her in that aspect. He was not going to bend the knee, no matter what. He was not going to swear loyalty to anyone who didn't deserve his respect. He would rather die and that scared her.

She didn't want him dead. She wasn't about to lose another husband.

"Robb," she whispered looking into his blue eyes. Her hands reached to cradle his head, her fingers curling around the edges of his ears so he couldn't look away from her. "Don't go yet."

"I have to."

"Then take me with you. I'll be ready very soon."

"Dany," he murmured gently, trying to push her off him by holding her upper arms.

"Don't!" she snapped. "I know about war. I rode with a khalasar and they are not gentle to women. I've seen people die. Don't tell me this is to protect me." She held onto him with more strength and he stopped fighting her.

"You must stay."

"This is my war too," she whispered and rose on tiptoes, beckoning him to get closer. He pressed his forehead against hers. "You are my husband but I won't stay here, waiting as a dutiful wife."

He snorted a sad chuckle. "No, you are not like most wives. You are stubborn and impulsive." He sighed. "But if you're not going to listen to reason then hear my heart." Her violet eyes widened when they met his closed ones. "I need you to stay and help Bran. Rickon will need someone who can show him he's not alone. You need to help me by staying in Winterfell until my return."

"I don't want to be locked inside here, not knowing what's happening with you in the battlefield." She shook her head, refusing to relent before his pleas. "I'm the rightful heir of that throne and the Seven Kingdoms need to know I'm back. Things will be different if they know."

"I'm not fighting for you. I do so for my family."

"I'm your family, as well. Fight for me so others join you, Young Wolf." She kissed him as sweetly as she could, praying for it not to be the last one. He was greedy and wild when kissing her back, as if he was making a fierce promise.

His fingers threaded in her hair as he drank from her mouth. Her hand made quick work of his trousers while he undressed her, kissing wherever he could reach.

It felt like a goodbye to her because no one had worshipped her like Robb Stark did that night. But he refused to say the words. He kept on running his hands over her body and watching her as if he were memorizing her for the time he would be away.

Boy kept calling him his banners. A summer boy but to her he was her king, the only one she'd take when she reached the Iron Throne.

She clung to him because maybe she could keep him mesmerized, in bed, and he would forget about facing a larger army, a more seasoned warlord. And she wouldn't fear for them.

He kissed her one last time and dropped a tender kiss on the back of her shoulder. "I'll return," he swore.

"You better," she menaced over her shoulder. "Or I'll go all through Westeros looking for you."

A small smile appeared on his face. "I know. No one takes things away from you and goes unharmed."

"Vengeance is something we know well, Wolf." She sat on the bed, memorizing his handsome face, his wild and fiery auburn hair, his bright blue eyes and the body she had grown to seek for at night in bed.

"I must go, my Queen," he teased, as he draped the cloak over his shoulders.

"Fight well, my King." She saw the surprise in his eyes but he only stared at her before nodding, leaving her naked in bed.

She turned on her side and looked through the window, the moon high on a cloudless night. She clenched her jaw and swallowed the bitter taste of his departure. She would no shed tears for a man she barely knew but she could because until then, she had never realized Robb had set roots deep inside her heart.

Ice was not as cold as they said. And the North was a very warm place to her.


	8. Allies

**Thank you for your reviews and the general feedback.  
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**There's something about this chapter I'm not too happy about (perhaps it's because this is just build-up to something bigger, little details affecting the outcomes). But don't despair, Daenerys will be present next chapter.**

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**_Chapter 8 : Allies_**

Fear was something that he could not help feeling. It wasn't that he was cowering. In fact, he felt bigger because the fear vanished when he thought about his family – as he had been taught, he would give anything for them, including his life.

But men like Greatjon kept thinking of him as a boy. A boy who was leading thousands of men to war, to face an enemy superior than him by far, both in experience and resources. But Tywin Lannister didn't have his heart.

Robb twined his fingers in Grey Wind's fur, petting the direwolf that kept growing at great speed, bigger and scarier every day. Many thought that the wolf was like the owner but Robb couldn't see it yet.

Before this, strategies and maps seemed like fun games to play – it was different when the ones fighting were real people, men with families waiting for them.

Nothing could have ever prepared him for war, not even if he had been taught how to ride a horse, how to hold a sword and shoot an arrow. Planning attacks and studying the enemy was difficult but he had learned quickly and, as it usually happened with him, he exceled. Of all his siblings, he had always been the one giving his parents less trouble, making them proud and he hoped that wouldn't change.

Listening to stories about largest armies being defeated by the old Kings in the North didn't help because even if he knew the north like the back of his hand, he didn't want the Lannister's army in his territory.

It was only when his mother showed up in the camp that he truly felt like a child. He wanted nothing more than to hug her just like when he was a little boy but he refrained himself from doing so.

There was something in her eyes when she looked at him. He didn't know if to read it as surprise or relief.

She was the one who wrapped her arms around him when they were finally alone, all the lords agreeing with her wishes of privacy for their first meeting in a very long time.

"I remember the day you came into this world, red-faced and squalling. And now I find you leading a host to war," she said and soon he understood that in her eyes, he would always be her child but he was no longer the same boy.

Even as she spoke, telling him that he didn't need to fight this war, she knew there was no chance he wouldn't have. His father had done the same at that age. And she had lived through a war but that didn't make it easier.

"I won't go back to Winterfell," he stated firmly.

"You left her there, alone?" It was obvious who was _her_. And his mother couldn't help the distaste laced to her voice as she said it.

It wasn't a secret for him that his mother hadn't approved of his father's idea of marrying him to Daenerys. He couldn't say he was euphoric about his marriage either but much had happened since and now he missed her – he longed for her at night, to feel her soft and warm skin against his, to smell her sweet perfume and wake up to her violet eyes.

"She's safer there. We are safer for as long as we can keep her a secret. Otherwise, the Lannisters would have more reason to attack."

"Robb."

"You've been away for too long. There are many things you have missed but right now, there are more pressing matters, Mother." He retrieved the piece of paper that contained Sansa's message, sent days prior. "There was a letter, from Sansa."

"From the Queen, you mean." His mother read the letter in a hurry and soon noticed a detail he had been aware of. "There's no mention of Arya."

"No."

She paused, probably thinking of the worst things that could happen to her daughters and how to get to them as fast as she could. "How many men do you have?"

Eighteen thousand. Many if they had been just numbers but not enough according to what the Lannisters could buy. But what other options did he have? Bend the knee to Joffrey? He would never make it alive out of King's Landing, and his mother agreed. He had to win this war and prove himself.

"And if I lose?" he dared to ask, only to her because he wouldn't let himself look weak in front of others.

Her answer was to remind him of how Tywin Lannister had ordered to butcher Dany's brother's children in their sleep without remorse.

Fury invaded him once again. He would never do something as vile as that – no one could murder defenseless children like that and be honorable. His father had never agreed with those actions because he knew justice wasn't about killing for no reason. Robb would live and fight by the same rules.

"If you lose, your father dies. Your sisters die. _We_ die."

"Well, that makes it simple then."

"I suppose it does."

There was no room for considering defeat. And like that, he forgot about ever doubting himself.

-o-

He despised those two lion figures on the map and wished nothing more than to take them down as soon as possible. For that he would need to cross the river and the only crossing was at The Twins, a bridge controlled by Walder Frey, one of Robb's grandfather's bannermen. Even so, his mother didn't have faith in that ambitious man – the _Late_ Lord Frey.

They were in the middle of discussing which army they would attack first – the Kingslayer's or Tywin Lannister's – when a few men came into the tent dragging a Lannister scout.

Now, he might have been the age of a boy, but he was the only Stark man, and as such he would take decisions.

Twenty thousand men, the scout had counted – two thousand more than the real number.

Ser Rodrik tried to find reasons why Robb could be excused from dealing with the boy in front of them, but as he said, he lived by the rules taught by his father, Lord Eddard Stark. Mercy, honor and courage.

"Let him go."

Everyone in the tent seemed surprised by his words, but he was the one leading the army, not his mother who called his name as if to scold him – one look was enough to let her know he was no child to be raised anymore.

"Tell Lord Tywin winter is coming for him. Twenty thousand northerners marching south to find out if he really does shit gold," Robb whispered for the scout in a cold tone that reminded him of his father's when he administered justice.

"Yes, my Lord." The scout replied more scared than when he had been brought in.

His men took the scout out to release him and it was only then that Greatjon finally let him know what he thought.

"Are you touched, boy? Letting him go?"

"Call me a boy again," Robb challenged him. "Go on." The man might have been older than him, bigger and taller by almost a foot but Robb was hell-bent on proving he was not a child and he was capable of leading an army. He wouldn't let anyone treat him as if he was just the name for them to fight for – he would become a warlord if he had to.

Greatjon Umber just grunted but didn't say a word before leaving.

This was just part of his strategy. They would see.

-o-

Morning came and by then Theon kept shooting down the ravens being sent from The Twins.

They were afraid that ambition drove Walder Frey to sell them to the Lannisters. To avoid any kind of warning, they needed to keep the letters far from their addressees.

Painfully, the pressure was getting to him. The fastest they could cross the river, the better. But they couldn't trust on Walder Frey keeping his oath to Hoster Tully, so they would need to offer something in exchange of the crossing – anything if they wanted to gain time. Unluckily for Robb, that meant he would need to face the man with the risk of being taken prisoner or worse.

That was until his mother offered herself, of course. She would negotiate since Lord Frey knew her and wouldn't dare to hurt her. Robb couldn't refuse because, in who else did he trust more than in his mother?

"My lord," a man hurried to Robb while he crumpled the last message Theon had intercepted. "A message from Dorne." The man handed him a letter and Robb's blue eyes widened as he took it.

It was his mother the first to speak. "Dorne?" Her tone said it all. She was more than baffled about this news. Dorne wasn't a kingdom known for its involvement in matters of the rest of Westeros, since they held little love for them.

"Yes, my lady. And another one from Winterfell."

Robb groaned, knowing quite well who was behind this. The only one who might have written to Dorne's Prince, Doran Martell, was Daenerys. And she was the only one he could reply to, considering Rhaegar had been married to Elia Martell, and therefore he was a man who hated the Lannisters as much as they did.

He grabbed the second note that came from Winterfell, reading it quickly and eagerly. Dany didn't apologize for her behavior – not that she would do it. She explained that so far, things were calm but Bran and Rickon were restless. The current lord of Winterfell was also bored, since he couldn't leave the Great Keep to ride. She had also spent time in the godswood. According to her, Rhaegal missed him and she missed Grey Wind – he had to chuckle at her words to disguise her true feelings.

At the end, she admitted she had written to Doran Martell, to the houses at Crackclaw Point, and to Mathis Rowan and Randyll Tarly in the Reach.

_This dragon will breathe fire for a wolf, _Dany wrote at the end.

And even if he wanted to be furious at her for not listening, for not keeping her presence in Westeros a secret like they had agreed from the beginning, he missed her. He missed her challenging him, the constant bickering, her kisses and tiny smiles in private, and her courage that sometimes turned her into a temerarious woman.

"It says here that his army is at your service," his mother's voice said, pulling his mind out of daydreams about his wife.

Robb lifted his head to look at her. She had already read Prince Doran's letter but he snatched it from her hands.

"We're not fighting a war so she can become Queen," Lady Catelyn spat in the middle of a surge of anger. "We're fighting for the freedom of your father."

"And the kingdoms. Our people," Robb replied. "We're not alone in this, Mother."

She gave him a look that mixed surprise with disapproval at his outburst. It wasn't long ago when he had felt used by his father when he betrothed him to Daenerys, when he agreed with his mother that the Princess would need constant supervision and that she would never show sympathy for them. And time found him doing the opposite.

"She's helping us."

"Not without a price, Robb." His mother shook her head. "You don't know what you're getting yourself into."

"I don't?" he scoffed and for the first time he felt insolent towards her - or to anyone. "I'm trying to end with an army far larger than mine. I'm trying to free Father, and Arya and Sansa. All while proving to my men and _you_ that I'm not a boy! I don't need you to teach me more about war. I need you to support and trust my decisions."

In the midst of his diatribe, he had clenched his fists, crumpling both letters. He was seething as he rode back to the camp but at the distance he heard Greatjon's powerful voice asking what woman had they been talking about, and his mother answering.

"His wife, Daenerys Targaryen."

The silence that followed was enough to let him know he had kept the secret very well until that day. And if he hadn't had more reasons to fight, now he needed to add the need to ensure his wife's safety because neither the Lannisters nor the Baratheons would like to know about his marriage.

And soon his father could be accused of more crimes and true treason.

-o-

It was hard to ignore the way men looked at him now. Robb knew they were talking about his wife, doubting his reasons were as pure as saving his family and freeing the North since he had taken a Targaryen as his wife.

"I've told them you hate her," Theon offered at which Robb snorted a laugh.

"I don't hate her," he muttered. Far from it, he actually liked her. She was smart but with a sharp tongue, hot-blooded but observant when she could control her temper. She was kind and sweet when she allowed herself to show her true nature.

"You're not doing this for her."

"No." Robb lifted his head. "The only thing this is doing for her is to put her in danger. They will try to kill her as soon as they find out she's my wife, the last Targaryen."

"And worse if they find out about the dragons," Theon offered quietly.

"Dragons?" Lady Catelyn Stark stressed the word with both fear and surprise.

"Mother," Robb said standing up.

"What have you been hiding from me, Robb? What is this about dragons?" She hurried herself inside the tent, not even giving them a hint of her deal with Lord Frey to ensure the crossing through the Twins.

Sighing, Robb shot daggers at his best friend before turning to his mother, looking at her meekly since he had already been so disrespectful to her that day. He felt guilt eating him up from the inside – not once he had raised his voice to her, much less hurt her.

"Dany," he started and saw his mother's eyebrows arching at the affectionate nickname. "She smuggled three dragons with her. She woke some old eggs and… she's raising them."

"Robb."

"Don't. I know her and her dragons. They are to her like Grey Wind is for me." He looked away and heaved a sigh. "And this is not the time to speak about animals the size of lizards. I need to know about the deal you made."

Lady Catelyn nodded, agreeing with him but reluctantly since she felt so out of place – as if she had missed so much of her son's life and Robb knew it was like that. He had grown since she had left but he couldn't help it.

Among the many demands of Lord Frey, his mother started with the reasonable ones, like taking Olyvar, his son, as his squire.

"Arya's hand so she will marry one of his sons when they both come of age." She paused and glanced at her side, where her brother Edmure was standing. "He wanted you to marry one of his daughters once the fighting is over but, since you cannot, your uncle Edmure will marry one of them instead."

"You told him about Dany?" Robb's voice was full of concern, so much he knew he sounded like a scared boy, at which Theon snickered.

"No." Lady Catelyn pursed her lips, clearly uncomfortable with her position in this web of lies and strategies. "But," she stressed, "have no doubt, Robb, that once Walder Frey finds out about who your wife is, he'll demand more."

"You think he'll betray us?" His brow furrowed. Mayhap he was too innocent to know any better but he couldn't conceive that one could fail to an oath.

"I believe he will know he could've gotten a much better deal than two marriages. And he will not be happy about it."


	9. Mother of Dragons

**As usual, thanks for your reviews.  
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**Now, I must say that I enjoy and like this chapter much more than the previous one (and therefore, I hope you like it better as well). Many surprises ahead.**

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**_Chapter 9 : Mother of Dragons_**

Since the day Robb had left, Dany felt something missing. It was certainly different to be quarreled with him and choose not to share a bed for a night than to not have him at all.

There was a quality about him that was hard to ignore – he made Winterfell feel warmer and livelier just by his sole presence. She noticed she wasn't the only one who felt that way since Rickon and Bran also seemed to miss him as badly.

Bran disliked his duties as a lord and Rickon felt lonelier than before which Daenerys tried to help with by playing with him or inviting him to the library, hoping that he would also learn a bit since he was too _wild_ to enjoy his education.

Lately she had acquired the habit of reading about her own lineage and seeing what had driven them to this point of near extinction.

She had also written letters in the best words she could find to the lords she thought would be loyal to her and her husband, planning on a future as rulers of their respective kingdoms. Dorne had been quick to answer – their dislike towards the Lannisters was something known even if they tried to conceal it. Under Maester Luwin's advice she had decided against writing to the Tyrells, claiming that they were too interested in their status to play against the current but illegitimate king. So she had sent a raven to the Rowans - but with more faith she sent another to Randyll Tarly, a man who was a famous and seasoned soldier who had defeated Robert Baratheon once.

Worry invaded her all the time and she felt queasy at the thought of Robb being hurt during battle.

"My lady," Maester Luwin interrupted as she thought about the possible outcomes of war.

She lifted her head to see the gentle smile on the old man's face. There was something about him that gave her peace – maybe because the man had welcome each of the Stark children into this world, and no evil man could have been around such good children.

"This concern about him will not do you any good," he said in the voice that demonstrated the wisdom he had acquired through the years. "He's a smart man, raised by an honorable man and a caring woman."

"It scares me because he's so… warmhearted," she murmured and sighed heavily at the thought of her waking up with his arms around her and his grumbling when he had to leave the bed.

"Men of the north are different, Lady Daenerys," Maester Luwin commented. "They are the opposite from those in the south – the cold teaches them mercy and the importance of family but it makes them just and keeps their minds clear. For that, their hearts are warmer."

She turned her eyes down as she nodded. "I just… miss him."

"You feel you should not?"

A feeble smile found its way to her lips. "Yes. I believe I shouldn't because we barely know each other."

"Is that so? Have you not learned his likes and dislikes, his quirks and to read him?" Maester Luwin offered good-naturedly and Dany had to widen her smile at that. "He might be a lord and you might be a lady, both from families with histories longer than books could tell. But that's not all you are."

"So it's not wrong of me to miss him as terribly as I do?" Her hands were soon placed over her belly, rubbing lightly her flat stomach only to hug herself tightly as tears threaten to fall down the corners of her eyes.

"My lady?" Maester Luwin called with a pinch of worry but also as calm as he always tried to be.

Tears ran down her cheeks beyond her control and her lips pressed together in a tight line. "I know. I feel it inside me but I don't want to believe it."

"You're with child," the old man stated, confident of reading the signs she had thought she had hidden so well.

Over the time Robb had been away, she had felt different and, after going through one pregnancy before, she knew the signs. She couldn't believe she would get pregnant but she hadn't drunk moon tea or discouraged Robb's advances – in fact, she had found herself enjoying his eagerness for learning her body. Robb was a wonderful lover, one who ignited a fire in her soul and body.

Hiding the signs, she had kept herself busy, only trusting her secret in Irri who helped her silently or so she thought.

"Your handmaid, Irri, she was worried. She asked for the customs here, and told me about the stallion heart."

Daenerys chuckled through her tears not having the heart to be angry at Irri, who had only tried to help her as much as she could.

"I doubt we'll need to perform such ceremonies," Maester Luwin quipped.

"No, we won't need such things." Dany sighed and sniffled, carefully wiping away her stubborn tears. "But I don't want to write to Robb. This is no news you send with a raven and… I don't want anyone else knowing."

"Your secret is safe with me, my lady," Maester Luwin promised.

"I don't want anyone to know about this. One thing is people knowing about me being his wife but is different if they know I'm carrying his heir." She pressed the pads of her fingers against her belly and frowned. "We both were born during war. Maybe this was meant to happen."

"There is something you don't want to tell me. You have made up your mind, have you not?" The man asked and once again she looked at him a bit surprised, thinking that there must have been a spell on the wall of the Great Keep that made all the people inside them be as good and honorable as they could be.

She nodded. "I need to tell him. I need _him_."

"You know is dangerous, not only because of your condition but because of who you are and where you are going."

"I'll take Irri with me and two of my dragons. And I've ridden before until birth." She stood up and approached him. "I'll trust in you as Robb does." She chuckled at the man's smile and the way he nodded at her words. "And I'll be back soon since he will probably send me here as soon as he can. Knowing him, he won't be too happy with my visit."

"You are about to be surprised. Starks are very solitary but welcoming people."

"So I've heard," she jibed. "Now I'll have to speak to our current lord. Hopefully, Bran will be happy that I'll write with news more often than Robb does."

"He'll miss you."

"I'll miss them too."

Dany was walking out of the library, feeling more comforted after sharing her secret and also after voicing her decision to go to Robb and ease her heart once and for all – the man had barely written to her two letters and he hadn't doubted for a moment to scold her about writing to other lords to join him but he had also shared a few words that swam in her head at night.

_Grey Wind howls at the moon at night. I might join him. I miss snowdrops and blue winter roses._

She knew a few children that had seen her called her Lady Snowdrop. And she had fallen in love with blue winter roses – and Robb had asked Jhiqui to always keep fresh ones in their chambers while he was away.

Maester Luwin tapped a finger on the open book she had discarded on a desk and said, "You know you're not the last Targaryen alive." Dany turned to him. "Maester Aemon, serving to the Night's Watch. Very wise man."

"Not all Targaryens are mad, I suppose," she offered.

"History proves us there are many great rulers amongst you."

"Do you believe Robb would be a good king?" she questioned.

"He's been raised to be an honorable man, merciful and brave. He is beloved by his people. But he's not a man who plays the games of politics. He judges based on other's actions and for that he might not see the benefit on playing them to his favor."

Daenerys nodded, understanding what Robb lacked to be successful as a king if he ever sat on the throne.

"He'd need someone trustworthy at his side. Someone who sees beyond what he believes is fair."

And maybe that was what had drove Eddard Stark to his current position. They believed so firmly in justice and honor that they didn't bother to play dirty, to see that for greater good, they would need to take some questionable decisions.

"Will I ever win his trust?"

Maester Luwin smiled. "I think you already have it. You have proof."

Instinctively her hand fell upon her stomach and she grinned, looking down.

-o-

Having to say goodbye to Bran had been difficult. She had sat with him and explained she was leaving to join Robb. She never said anything about her pregnancy, afraid that the situation would put more weight over his small shoulders. She knew that through her, much damage could be done to Robb and that was the last thing she wished for.

"I'll leave Viserion with you. You'll feed him and train him." Dany smiled encouragingly at the boy and placed a hand over his arm when his eyes widened. "I trust you and I know that when he's big enough, you will ride him. Doreah and Jhiqui will help you with him and in return he'll be loyal to you, he'll protect Winterfell with you."

"But how will I train him?" He scowled at his legs and then his eyes fell upon Hodor. "I can't."

"You can. I know so. You'll find a way. You and me, we are survivors, Bran, and as such we always find a way."

Saying goodbye to Rickon almost broke her heart. The boy needed so much love. The only thing he longed for was someone who would take care of him, to hold him whenever he was scared – and that loneliness reminded her of her childhood, of how much she had missed to have a mother with her.

"Will you bring Robb back?" Rickon asked in a little voice as his fingers dug in Shaggydog's fur, petting him in a compulsory fashion, to ease his nervousness.

"I'll try. But I will return, Rickon. I promise, even if Robb can't come back now, I will."

"Mother said the same," he scowled and tugged Shaggy's fur so hard that the direwolf growled deep in his throat.

Cradling his little face in her hands, Dany shook her head. "You need to believe me. I need _you_ to trust me because I'm trusting in you and Bran to take care of Viserion. He'll keep you safe for me, until my return."

"But they are bigger and Robb said not to leave the castle."

Dany smiled at his words. He was so little but followed his brother's words as if they were law.

"There's the godswood and before he's too big for it, you won't need to hide here anymore."

Rickon nodded firmly before letting go of Shaggydog and clinging to her skirts, his small arms winding around her waist. Her hand carefully fell on his back and the other on Rickon's curly hair. She was sad to leave him but she was sure she would honor her promises.

-o-

Maester Luwin refused to let her go alone with Irri and her two dragons that were now the size of cats but growing much rapidly every day. So for her safety, he had delayed Yoren's departure to King's Landing. The recruiter of the Night's Watch was quite ugly and had poor manners but what he lacked in those, he had in loyalty.

"Want me to take you to King's Landing, my lady?" He said as he spat the juice of sourleaf right next to them and onto the snow.

"No," she replied, pulling the hood of her cloak over her head to cover the telltale of her inheritance. "I want to go to my husband."

"You don't want to take your throne now?"

She looked at him into his eyes and clenched her jaw. "I want to find my king first. I'll go to him and if you won't take me matters little to me because I will meet him anyway."

His lips twisted into the semblance of a smile. "I'll take you to him." He tugged her hood more firmly over her head. "But out there you follow my rules."

She respected a man who made himself deserve such honor and despite all of Yoren's glaring flaws, he had a few virtues that balanced things out.

-o-

She didn't remember taking so long to arrive to Winterfell when she had ridden with Robb but now, finding her way to him seemed to take forever. Daenerys wanted to ride all day and night until she was with him, until she could sink her fingers into his hair and feel his lips on hers. She felt words lodged in her throat at the thought of telling him she carried his child.

Yoren had scolded her more than once and she had to bite her tongue. She wouldn't jeopardize her plans in favor to be prideful.

The last day, she felt tired but she would keep riding without a pause. A hunch told her he needed her as much as she needed him and it wasn't just about politics or for her to convince him about fighting for her and the throne.

After days, they finally caught sight of the camp and the thousands of men at Robb's service.

Her heart beat wildly in her chest and Flacor, her horse, was spurred to run as fast as he could while she clung to him.

Irri behind her called for her. "Khaleesi!" was what Daenerys heard at the distance but the Dothraki woman couldn't follow her since she was carrying one of her dragons in its small cage and wasn't driven by the urge to meet someone she missed, like Daenerys was.

She only slowed down enough to look for Robb through the army around them. Her instinct and luck soon took her to the right place and she saw the familiar head covered in auburn hair. Robb had her back to him but soon Catelyn, standing in front of him, saw Dany.

His mother's eyes widened and it was only then he turned and saw her. His eyes didn't show surprise but his body kept still, as if he didn't know what to do.

Daenerys dismounted her horse and smiled at him before she walked to him, each step faster than the last until she found herself in front of him.

He looked older, as if in his time away he had aged years. His eyes seemed colder but soon they melted at her sight and his full lips barely curved at the corners while hers split her face into a wide grin.

"Wolf," she murmured.

"You couldn't listen to me."

She chuckled and shook her head while her eyes filled with happy tears at the sight of him unharmed. "I told you, I'm not a dutiful wife."

He swallowed hard and clenched his teeth. Before she knew it, he had sunk his fingers in her mane of platinum hair and kissed her fervently. Her eyes shut tightly and she relished in his warmth, feeling pleased that he showed her how much he had missed her. Her hands gripped his furs and refused to let him go.

"We can't talk here," Robb breathed out, pressing his forehead to hers. "I can't tell you how stubborn and stupid you are," he said through clenched teeth but with a smile.

"Just like you."

"No," he murmured and only then she followed his gaze after he had uttered that single syllable.

Every man around her was watching either her or her horse, where Drogon roared in his cage. In the midst of her race to Robb, her hood had fallen and it wasn't hard for them to guess who she was. Things were more complicated though, because now they had seen her dragons and it was no time until news travelled around Westeros about the Mother of Dragons and her alliance with the Starks.

"You planned on keeping me a secret for the rest of our lives?"

He breathed deeply and released the air in a slow, calming breath. "No."

"Good, because there is more you need to know."


	10. Ice Dragon

**Seems like the last chapter was indeed better - thank you for letting me know in your reviews. Now, news for Robb and and ending that will lead us to more exciting scenarios.  
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**_Chapter 10 : Ice Dragon_**

Before she could speak whatever she wished to tell him, and the reasons that had brought her to him, Robb led Daenerys to his tent. One look to his mother told enough – he needed the privacy with his wife.

As much as he had missed her, Robb had been honest when telling her she must have stayed in Winterfell. She represented a big piece in this game, in war – her blood put her in danger and therefore, him and his family. She had been right when she pointed out that they were family but as such, he felt it was his duty to protect her.

While he walked with Daenerys, he told Theon to find a proper place for Irri and the dragons. His friend didn't seem too happy about the task but he complied. At least there was one man in Robb's army that already knew about the dragons and how _not to provoke_ them.

As chivalrous as he was, he held open the tent for her and Dany walked in, studying every inch of the makeshift room. He had to admit that being Lord had its benefits such as having a better place to sleep in but still, maybe she thought it was an awful place to be in.

"It's not our bed in Winterfell," he apologized but as soon as the words left his mouth, Dany turned to him wearing a shy smile.

"I'm not worried about the bed," she said, shaking her head. "This is better than what I had in Essos." She approached him and cradled his face in her hands. "I was famished, had no water or shelter. You should know by now, Robb, I'm not your regular lady."

A smile he couldn't help was carved on his face. "No, you're not." As if they had a will on their own, his hands fell possessively on the sides of her face. And he kissed her again, passionately and with need. She was pliant in his arms and kissed him back with as much longing as he felt.

Not having her for so long had made him realize he had grown fond of her. Daenerys had become a part of his life and one person he relied on when he felt he had to hide his weakness from the rest. Most of the time he just needed comfort – and she gave that to him.

Having her being defiant and going against the rules only made things better. She was an equal on her eyes and – even if he had his concerns – Robb knew she was very capable of doing unimaginable things for a woman. She had survived through so much; this was probably just another story for her.

"I've felt cold," she complained as she tugged on the furs draped around his shoulders. "You took your warmth with you."

He snorted a laugh.

"Don't laugh at me, Wolf." She buried her face in his chest and felt the coarse hair of his beard against her temple. Her arms wound around his waist and, for the first time, Robb felt like he had been neglecting her but also that her shell was cracking and she was no longer that cold woman who only sought revenge.

He often wondered if he was the only one of them who was starting to believe their arranged marriage could be more than heated nights and cold days, just looking for solace in each other's bodies.

"Dany," he whispered against her hair and she shivered in his arms, tightening her embrace.

"Don't make me leave you. Not yet, please." Her voice was unlike any other time – little and scared. "I cannot sleep knowing you are in danger. You _are_ the only thing I have."

His heart ached. "Promise me that if things are too bad, you will go back. And you will follow my orders."

She looked up at him. Her expressive violet eyes showed mischief and defiance but her plump lips seemed to form a beautiful and innocent smile – and she was all that, which was his weakness. Robb knew he'd do anything for her, to keep her his.

"Orders?" she quipped. "I don't take orders from anyone. You should know."

"You'll take them from me," he replied sternly. "You're mine to protect and I will do so."

"If you promise to take one order from me," she spoke seriously and quietly. He waited for her words, not daring to go against her wishes. "Don't die and leave us alone."

Soon his brow furrowed. To whom was she referring to when she said us? It didn't go unnoticed for him because for too long she had spoken about her and only her, as if all those years of exile had forced her to only think of surviving.

She seemed to read his mind when she continued. Dany held his hands in hers and looked up into his eyes. There was something about her eyes; he could see them full of emotions he couldn't quite recognize because she had never worn them before.

"I know we don't know much about each other and most of those many nights we shared together in our bed were because we felt better having someone in our arms – I felt better when you held me." She heaved a shaky sigh and smiled. "You don't like me."

"Dany," he pled, his brow furrowing because what she said wasn't true. He cared about her and was learning to like her but life had been hard and fate had chosen not to give them more time.

She chuckled, caressing the side of his face. Her touch, her soft hands reminded him of what his life could be in times of peace – had he not needed to fight for honor, he would be happy with her. Had they met under different circumstances, he would've tried to romance her because she was the most beautiful woman he had seen and her sharp mind kept him on his toes.

Leading one of his hands to cover her stomach, she muttered gently, "I just hope your dislike for me doesn't translate in a dislike for our child."

His eyes that had been trained on their twined hands, snapped up and widened as he searched for clues in her face. Her eyes were full of tears but her mouth was curved in a feeble smile.

"An Ice Dragon is growing inside me," she whispered. "One who will rule the world. One who will breathe ice and fire over his enemies."

Robb didn't quite know what to say or do. He just stared at her and placed both of his hand on her stomach.

Knowing what it meant to be born during war, Robb doubted this would be easy for them. His parents had conceived him right after their wedding and he hadn't known about his father until the war was over. But unlike Dany's, his father had returned to him.

On his knees he fell, kneeling before her. Robb rested his forehead against her belly and wound his arms around her waist, making the silent promise to return to her and their child. Family was his reason to fight and, what better than that to keep him alive?

"You finally bow before your queen," she said as her fingers rubbed his scalp in a soothing manner.

Lifting his head, Robb smiled. "No. I bow before the mother of my child," he murmured.

-o-

Grey Wind's low growls could be hear as he slept on the ground right next the entrance of the tent, guarding it like always.

Meanwhile, in bed, Robb lay awake with a naked Dany in his arms. In the dark he could see little thanks to the faint light of a candle about to be completely consumed. He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, gently sweeping his finger along her forehead.

A soft wrinkle appeared between her eyebrows as she crinkled her nose.

He couldn't find it in him to feel guilty, even if he knew he was lucky to have his wife with him, unlike his men. Robb couldn't even begin to worry about his mother's disapproval when he informed her Dany would be staying with him for as long as he deemed prudent.

It was perhaps reckless of them both to do this but they thought it was better than to not have parents, than to miss their child's growth, than to miss each other so terribly they could not focus on anything else. The last reason was of course unspoken because they were too prideful to admit it.

"Robb," Dany whined. "Go back to sleep," she admonished and he felt the need to chuckle. "You need your rest."

He did indeed. Next morning they would put a trap on the Kingslayer's army, pretending to attack Tywin Lannister but going for him instead. It would be enough to distract them, so their large army wouldn't have time to prepare for the surprise attack. Still, for this ambush, he had to send two thousand men to a sure death.

"Robb?" she called and this time her voice was laced with worry. She opened her eyes and locked it with his. "Sleep. Don't think of this as being cruel or a bad leader because they understand this is for the greater good. Do you believe that?"

"I wish I wouldn't have to do this."

She snuggled closer to him and nuzzled his shoulder. Her hands were flat on his back and he let himself hug her. "Your strategy is perfect. They won't expect it from someone as young as you. They think you're weak but you're not."

"War is easy, what comes after is what scares me."

"I think otherwise but I'll be here for you. And you're here for me now." She dropped a tender kiss on the left side of his chest and he felt his spirit filled with courage and more importantly, faith. "Sleep, Wolf."

"Dany," he called softly and she only hummed her reply. "I do like you."

She paused for a moment and then Robb heard her soft chuckle. "Just because I'm carrying your child."

"No. Long before that." He buried his nose in her hair and pecked the crown of her head. "It is as if you had a spell on me."

"You think I am a witch? Good to know," she jibed.

He snickered.

This was what he had needed. Someone to talk to without fear of being seen as weak or childish – someone who understood the weight of his position now. She was the last of her house and he the leader of his.

"They think I am a boy. Nothing more. And they think I'm fighting for you to get the throne."

She looked up at him, frowning. "A boy? You have a wife and child on the way. You're doing what many have been afraid to do. You. No matter how much I tried to plant seeds on your mind to manipulate you, you're too good for that and I'm glad for that."

"You're glad I didn't help you with your wishes?"

"I'm glad you made me see differently. You disagreed and let me know. I just hope you hear me when the time comes too."

"Were you always wise?" Robb grinned at her when she smiled.

"I'm not wise. I'm fortunate."

"Hopefully our child will be because I am not wise either if I married you and if I'm going to fight two armies."

"Wisdom can be cultivated. Your instinct and my luck, those go with blood." She tugged the furs covering them and sunk in the bed. "Now close those eyes, you need your energy and I'm tired."

"As you wish, Your Grace."

-o-

He returned victorious from his battle and as he rode his horse back from the field, in sight came his mother, Ser Rodrik and Dany whose smile was small but her posture on her horse showed how proud she was of him.

In some ways, he knew he had to prove himself before his men and his enemies but also, deep inside him, he felt the need to win for his unborn child.

And when his men dragged Jamie Lannister, his prisoner, on the ground before them, Daenerys kept herself hidden behind his mother and Ser Rodrik, under the hood of her cloak. Her fury and her sadness couldn't be concealed, though. That man had killed her father and his father had ordered to murder her family.

Despite his situation, Jamie Lannister kept mocking them, answering Lady Catelyn's demands for her daughters and husband with sardonic remarks, not showing fear or hiding it under his words.

"Cut his head. Send it to his father," Theon said with a smile.

Robb had felt the urge but he knew. "He's more use to us alive than dead."

His mother ordered, "Take him away and put him in irons."

But the lion kept pushing his luck, tempting Robb with a duel to end everything. Lannisters against Starks in a match that would surely end with one of them dead and more likely the Young Wolf, since he was still inexperienced.

"If we did it your way, Kingslayer, you'd win. We're not doing it your way," Robb spat through clenched teeth.

It was only then, as Greatjon took Jamie away, that the lion saw the girl hidden under the cloak. His brow furrowed and his gaze fell upon Robb as if he searched for answers. Women weren't something usual on a battlefield, much less ladies.

Robb wasn't about to introduce them, but he knew sooner rather than later, Daenerys would meet her father's murderer and she would want revenge.


	11. Howling

**Thank you for all those wonderful reviews - and not only your comments about what I've written but your own opinions about what should happen. You seriously make me think about the possibilities.  
**

**I think this is a chapter that mixes a lot of things but most importantly, it shows how Robb grows and becomes a man. I hope you enjoy it.**

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**_Chapter 11 : Howling_**

News arrived in the morning making victory taste bitter for everyone. Daenerys couldn't comprehend why it had happened like this, why after having so much hope with Robb's first win, everything had been ruined by the murder of Eddard Stark in King's Landing.

She had never met the man but she felt her heart being squeezed by claws inside her chest as soon as Theon told her. It was difficult for her since she knew Robb loved and admired his father with all his being, and he hoped to save him and have his family reunited in Winterfell soon.

By the time she made it out of the tent where she and Irri were feeding the dragons, she saw Lady Catelyn walking through the camp and men bowing to her to express their grief. The woman looked tall and composed, so much that Dany was reminded of her own mask, the one she wore to hide her pain away. In that moment, she admired Robb's mother.

Catelyn Stark was a strong lady and she knew she couldn't look weak before her people.

As soon as she took a deep and encouraging breath, Dany decided to follow Catelyn and express her condolences – without Eddard Stark she would have never met Robb nor come to Westeros. And now she was carrying the man's first grandchild.

Her hands fell upon her stomach and she hurried to the tall woman who was already reaching the woods.

It was only when she heard her sniffling silently that Dany decided to slow her pace and give the woman a chance to grief without feeling guilty.

In the background, the sound of metal cutting through the air could be heard.

Soon she watched the love and strength mothers had when treating with their children, while comforting them.

Dany was careful not to interrupt them, to not startle Robb as he angrily swung his sword against a tree, more likely than not wishing it was one of his enemies. Her heart beat faster and her stomach felt in knots as she saw him crying. He had always kept his face straight and his hand steady but now he broke down.

There was also pain in her because he hadn't come to her in look for comfort.

"I'll kill them all. Every one of them. I'll kill them all," he swore as his mother held him in her arms, like the child he no longer was. The last tie to childhood had now been severed.

And a few feet away, Dany couldn't help to agree with him and that she would do anything to help him keep that promise, that together they would be the downfall of their enemies because something inside her told her he would do the same for her.

"My boy, they have your sisters. We have to get the girls back... and then we will kill them _all_," Catelyn replied, gently stroking his hair and letting him bury his face in her shoulder while he sobbed. Once again, she was protecting her child, not letting his men see him weak.

But his instinct always found her, and so Robb lifted his head enough to see her. He pulled back from his mother's comforting arms and tried to regain control over his emotions and ignore the tears marring his handsome face.

Lady Catelyn soon turned to her, as well.

"I'm… sorry," Dany muttered softly, approaching them. "I really am," she muttered, feeling awkward and out of place. She had never been nurtured to know how to comfort them, how to tell them how awful she felt for their loss.

Viserys thought he owned the world and that no one deserved his pity, while she thought she wished to help people who had suffered like them. They never reached a consensus and so she never knew how to help others despite feeling the pull each time she saw someone hurting.

Lady Catelyn bowed her head, accepting her vague words.

"I'll do anything you need me to." She swallowed hard as her eyes locked with Robb's reddened ones. "I want to help," she admitted meekly.

Robb kept his blue gaze on her as he spoke in a voice void of emotion. "Mother, there's something you must know."

Panic invaded Daenerys. She didn't believe this was the right moment to inform his mother about their child, not when her beloved husband had just died. Apparently Robb thought differently. Or perhaps he needed now more than ever, more reasons why not to crumble and let the pain consume him.

"Robb," Dany pled. "Don't. Not now, please."

But he clenched his jaw and decided not to listen to her. "Dany is with child."

His mother wide eyes fell upon her and soon surprise turned into the warm gaze of a loving mother she had never had.

"I'm sorry," Daenerys apologized, covering her belly with both hands and ducking her head as she felt tears prickling her eyes. "I'm sorry," she repeated before she felt gloved hands cradling her face and soon she met Catelyn's eyes, full of love.

"My child," the older woman uttered softly. "We need hope in any form. Don't apologize for the gift the Gods have given us." She planted a hand over hers on her stomach. "This makes us stronger. This gives us a future, hope."

Dany nodded. "We'll get your daughters back and we will kill them all. We will."

Lady Catelyn nodded before silently retreating to the camp, leaving the young couple alone, embracing each other for comfort and strength.

-o-

After the devastating news of Eddard Stark's death, there was a dire need to organize the army against the so-called _King Joffrey_. Robb and his bannermen needed to have a plan for how to face their enemy – while sorrow and fury fueled their strength to fight.

Dany, as it had become usual, sat next to Robb wearing her hooded cloak. It hadn't taken much time to notice it was better to hide those traits that reminded her husband's men of her blood, because not many believed she was completely devoted to the cause that drove them to war.

Lord Jonos from house Bracken suggested they allied with Renly Baratheon and joined forces to fight against the Usurper's child.

As he spoke, she wanted to tell him how wrong his ideas were but she refrained herself from doing so due the respect she had for Robb. Meanwhile, the Lord of Winterfell kept his gloved hands covering hers on her lap as if he knew about the thoughts in her head.

"Renly is not the king," Robb replied loudly and with severity.

"You cannot mean to hold to Joffrey, my lord. He put your father to death!" Galbart Glover said in outrage.

Dany was surprised of how serene Robb looked as he addressed his banners. "That doesn't make Renly king. He's Robert's _younger_ brother. Now Bran cannot be Lord of Winterfell before me, Renly cannot be king before Stannis."

"Do you mean to declare us with Stannis?"

"Renly is not right!" Lord Karstark argued.

It was only then that Greatjon Umber stood up, a giant amongst his peers. Despite knowing the man's dislike for her father, Dany saw something in the lord that made her trust him – he was one of the most loyal men Robb had and the one who spoke the loudest.

"Here's what I say to these two kings." He spat furiously on the ground and cheers were heard. "Renly Baratheon is _nothing_ to me, nor Stannis neither. Why should they rule over me and mine from some flowery seat in the south? What do they know of the Wall or the Wolfswood? Even their gods are wrong." People laughed as they agreed. "Why shouldn't we rule ourselves again? It was the dragons we bowed to and now the dragons are ours."

The gaze of many fell upon her in an almost accusatory fashion but also testing her. She held the Lord of the Last Hearth's stare and knew that from then on, she was vowing to be loyal to not only the Starks by marriage but to the North as well.

Greatjon drew his sword and pointed it at Robb. "There sits the only King I mean to bend my knee to. The King in the North!" he stated and then knelt before Robb.

Knowing plenty of the history of not only her house but of those who were part of the Seven Kingdoms, Dany was aware that the title hadn't been used by the Starks since Aegon the Conqueror. It was more than declaring war to Joffrey – the northerners were declaring their independence.

Robb seemed taken aback but as if he was prepared for it. He slowly stood up, looking bigger and fearsome. A true ruler had been born and the child was no more.

Another man stood up and told that he would only accept peace under those terms. That the Iron Throne and the Red Keep weren't their interest but Dany couldn't hear him. She only had eyes for her Wolf, the one man who seemed to rise for the challenge and she was proud to be his in return.

Theon stood up as well. "Am I your brother, now and always?" he asked, hoping like always to be part of the family that had raised him, that had welcome him despite the dispute Eddard Stark had had with Lord Balon Greyjoy during their own rebellion.

"Now and always," Robb replied, meaning every word because he did not lie about family.

"My sword is yours, in victory and defeat, from this day until my last day." Theon drew his own sword and knelt next to the other men.

Without him noticing it, Daenerys was soon on her feet, pushing back the hood covering her platinum hair. "You have been my king from the moment you claimed me," she spoke while everyone else kept quiet. "I answer to no other. You're my husband, my king, the father of my child. The dragon bows to you, King in the North."

Like she had grown used to, his eyes softened when they found hers.

"King in the North!" Lords and everyone around them clamored, drawing swords and promising their loyalty to him.

Pride ran through her veins and Dany was happy and honored to have Robb's heir safely growing in her womb. She knew together they were more powerful than they could imagine and their child would be even bigger than they were.

-o-

Laughing gleefully, Daenerys petted Grey Wind's fur. In a matter of months the direwolf had grown terribly, becoming a beast most men feared. But she couldn't forget the image of the small pup that played with her and it seemed like he couldn't either.

It was said that Robb's wolf alone had murdered more men than one soldier with a sword. And rumors among the troops said that the animal had grown thanks to the blood from his victims, feeding from fear and flesh.

Near them, Rhaegal whined in a low growl and Drogon followed him. Both of her dragons had grown too and they were already learning to use their fire as a weapon as well as to cook their food. By now they were the size of Grey Wind when she had first met him.

"Oh, stop it you two," she scolded playfully as she brushed back the fur that covered Grey Wind's snout and the top of his head. "You are spoiled plenty."

At that moment the tent entrance opened to let in Robb; he looked serious and tired.

"You think they'll talk back?" he asked as they were left alone by the guards.

"Maybe one day," she quipped and saw him discarding his gloves and taking his cloak off. "Robb?"

Turning to her, she saw the tension on his body, the weight of his decisions and his new title of King.

She stood up and approached him. "Are you all right?"

And with that he breathed out a long breath as his eyes closed. "Better. Is it awful of me to be out of grief and full of vengeance?" he muttered quietly. Her hands cradled his face and she rose on tiptoes to press a sweet and lengthy kiss to his mouth.

"That's grief, my Wolf. That's our grief but you'll get your revenge and we'll rest. Our family will rest."

Dany felt comforted when his arms wrapped around her body and he pulled her closer to him. Since his father's death, he had become distant and he had stopped his playful nature from showing – she missed it. He had become a bright light in her life.

"I've been missing your warmth, Dany," he whispered into her mouth. "My heart is turning into stone to stop from hurting but you, you are the only reason I have to make it beat."

"Robb," she pled and clung to him. "You'll always have me. Our enemies will tremble at the sound of the Wolf howling, growling, but I know that's the Wolf who keeps me warm and safe. They will fear you at first sight but I'll pet your fur when you need comfort. I'll mend your wounds and breathe fire if you need heat."

A small smile grew on his face. "My sweet dragon, people should fear you the most because it is you who has made a wolf out of this pup."

"Will you lay with me tonight?" Dany asked, smiling at him as he sunk his finger in her hair, kissing her forehead.

Robb looked around the tent, seeing Grey Wind curled near the entrance of the tent and Dany's dragons next to the direwolf proving him heat. Daenerys chuckled at the sight with him.

"You think it is an omen?"

"I think we were," Robb replied before taking her mouth to kiss her thoroughly as his hands rumpled her skirts quickly around her waist, making a mess of her clothes in his haste to get her naked. And once she was exposed to him, his eyes were trained on her protruding belly, growing each day.

He kissed her stomach and soon found her eyes. "You always knew, did you not?"

"You're my King," Dany replied and watched him undress before her.

There was a smile on his face. "You're my Queen. My Dragon. My wife. And we will get our revenge."

"We will. We will watch them burn."


	12. Interlude I, King's Landing

**As usual, I want to thank you for your reviews. I'm shocked to see so many of you like the Robb x Dany pairing, given that there aren't many stories about them.  
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**Also I want to point out that this chapter is not about Robb or Dany per se but about what's going on around them.**

**(And it seems that there are foreseers among you, and I'm sure you'll see it).**

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**_Chapter 12 : Interlude I, King's Landing_**

There wasn't much love in him for the woman sat at his left. In all honesty, it was difficult for him to believe she had _any_ kind of love for him despite being her brother but if life and love were simple, he wouldn't have been who he was. Most people were attracted to all things shiny and pretty – category in which his sister fell, sadly. He had morbid interest in all those dark secrets and ugly things that were hidden or broken – some people might say he was fond of those of his kind.

Never had he imagined himself in the position he was currently in. His father wasn't fond of him either but he respected blood ties and so he had given him a task he could only trust in the hands of his kin.

The only one in his family who ever showed some kind of affection to him was his brother – and he wasn't very good at it to begin with.

He grabbed the goblet with wine in front of him and then took a mouthful of the sweet liquor. He eyed his sister at his side and huffed. She was such an obstinate woman, one who only wanted power and her wishes made reality.

It seemed awful of him but a part of him believed she had been praying to the Gods for the death of her husband for years. It was as if she had been freed from a curse but during those long years she had become a bitter and conniving woman.

Cersei wasn't happy with his arrival; that was for certain. She didn't even have the decency to hide it, to pretend.

"If I were capable of tricking Father, I'd be Emperor of the world by now. You brought this on yourself." She had because she had lost control of her son, the new King of the Seven Kingdoms – a boy who had no respect for anyone and was amused by the heads of people rolling at his feet. A sadist and a coward – and he was saying it despite being family but he was allowed because there was no love or respect to reciprocate.

"I've done nothing!" she snapped at him.

"Quite right, you did _nothing_ when your son called for Ned Stark's head! Now the entire North has risen up against us!"

The North. It was not an easy place to live in and he only was there for a few weeks. The weather created men who were hard and resilient, not like in the South and much less like his arrogant and pompous nephew.

He knew the chances of victory diminished with each enemy his dear nephew, Joffrey, made.

"I tried to stop it!" she said but her tone gave her away. She had no control over the situation and she probably did want to get rid of the last tie to her late husband.

"Did you? You failed. That bit of theatre will haunt our family for a generation."

"Robb Stark is a child," she spat like an insult, like she couldn't care less about what _Robb Stark_ was doing with his army. But she should have been scared of that child because her oldest son wouldn't even wield a sword without his knees trembling.

He had already spoken to Lord Varys that morning. The damn Spider didn't even conceal his pleased smile when he mentioned the news he had heard – the rumors that were now running freely across Westeros. Perhaps if this had been known at the time, it would've cost Eddard Stark his head – or perhaps it would've been his way to get freedom.

"Who's won every battle he's fought! Do you understand we're losing the war?!" The imperious need of slapping her to force her to face reality invaded him.

"What do _you_ know about warfare?" It was as if his height was an impediment for his wit in her eyes.

"Nothing," he replied. And it felt like he knew nothing. "But I know people, and I know that our enemies hate each other almost as much as they hate us." He looked at her in the eye and sighed heavily before adding the piece of information that was the most dangerous one so far. "But Robb Stark, the child," he emphasized to make fun of her ignorance and naivety. "He has one very important ally. Another child. A girl." Cersei's eyebrows knitted together in a silent question. "Daenerys Targaryen."

"Impossible," she babbled before he could even finish the name.

"And their pets, of course," he quipped but even he knew there was nothing funny about it. "Very close to their sigils, it seems."

His sister eyes widened. "It can't be."

"If you had only heard Ned Stark. Sensible man, I might add." Tyrion mocked her because there was nothing else to do and because if she thought he knew nothing about warfare, then she must have realized she was no knight. "Two dragons the girl has. And Robb Stark's direwolf is more lethal than any soldier."

"Joffrey is King." She was in denial.

"Joffrey is King," he repeated because he had no choice but to agree because he might have been anything but he would always be loyal to his family. "But Dorne has joined them and there are rumors House Tarly has sent a raven today. They might become overlords of The Reach in return while the Tyrells support Renly."

"You're speaking nonsense." Cersei clenched her jaw and added, "You are here to advise the King."

"Only here to advise him. And if the King listens to what I say, the King might just get his uncle Jaime back," Tyrion offered kindly. He wanted Jamie back as well because he was the only one who made him feel part of the family and if there was no connection to them, then why help them? He would need to search deeper for more reasons because he doubted this war would end soon.

"How?" she asks eagerly.

"You love your children. It's your one redeeming quality. That and your cheekbones. The Starks love their children as well, and we have two of them." Tyrion might have been overlooked most of the time but he knew how to fight his battles. He was confident that if the Starks got at least their children back, they would spare them… something. But this exchange had to be done before the Young Wolf comprehended the power he had and the one Daenerys had.

"One," Cersei interjected as she looked at him.

"One!" He slammed the goblet with wine against the table.

"Arya, that little animal, she disappeared." It was astounding how such a beautiful woman could be full of so much hatred.

"Disappeared? What, in a puff of smoke? We had three Starks to trade. You chopped one's head off and let another escape. Father would be furious." He paused and brethed slowly to calm himself enough to begin to plan again. "Must be odd for you, to be the disappointing child."

She shot him a look that spoke louder than words.

Should have he told her about the other Stark, the new one growing inside the Mother of Dragons? No. That would have only put Sansa in risk and Sansa was the only thing they had to trade for Jamie.

For a woman who claimed to be so smart, his sister was sorely inept.

And meanwhile, the Spider enjoyed mocking them, knowing everything and confessing it to him because he knew. Far before they could hear the gossip, the bloody eunuch knew they were doomed.

Dragons and Wolves had never been allies luckily for all of them. But now they were fighting together with a thirst for vengeance and there was nothing that could stop them… or was it? That was his duty now, to find out their weakness but he would need to be secretive about it. Who knew what stupid act his nephew would do if he had another tantrum.

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King's Landing was a big city and the dream of many at the time. Many wanted to reach the city and sit at the Iron Throne. For the rest of people, King's Landing was dirty and immoral but a haven from war and famine – though the new King was not doing a good job at keeping his people happy or fed.

He had never liked the city, even if he himself had dirtied his hands. All for the love he had had for his wife. And here he was again because of the same reason but this time for another woman. A woman who had left him to marry another man.

She couldn't be happy with him and he hadn't been able to go with her because the father of that boy she was supposed to marry had condemned him to death. He could have joined his father and the Night's Watch but he doubted Lord Jeor Mormont would have been happy to see his face every day after everything he had done for him. He felt ashamed but he had loved so much and at the end he lost anyway.

Painfully for him, the royal pardon he had obtained from Varys was for doing something he regretted. He had betrayed his _khaleesi_. And now, after waiting for his feelings to die without her and go back to his life as a sellsword, he had realized he'd rather be by her side and suffer than to not have her at all.

He would no longer give information to Varys. Jorah only needed to find his way to Daenerys and offer her his services.

"You do know she is happy, right?" Lord Varys said with that smile apparently innocent but maleficent at the same time. The Master of Whisperers looked after only himself and for that he never shared all his secrets and never took a side. "So much she followed him to the battlefield."

"He shouldn't have let her."

"Should he not?" The bald man hummed as if weighing the options. "He's winning and a hero. He's young and the new King in the North. I believe she's gotten a slice of her dreams. She's queen."

Jorah clenched his jaw. "She's in danger. And if he can't see that, then Robb Stark is a fool. He shouldn't let her do as she pleases."

"Yes, they say people tend to behave foolishly when in love." Varys shook his head disapprovingly before looking at him with fake pity. "But you know that, don't you?"

There was no reply that would have left his mouth without venom. Jorah had no empty promises to make to threaten Varys because the man had not much to lose – all things considered.

"I just need to know where she is. And I believe it's the least you could after all I've done for you."

"Right, right. I might be no Lannister but I pay my debts." Varys sighed and took his time to study him for a while, as if reading his mind. "But I could give you more than her location – details about her new life for a very reasonable price."

"I'm not going to work for you again."

"Pity." Varys smiled and handed him a rolled map. "It was a pleasure to do business with you. And if you happen to regret your decision, I'm not resentful."

There was a secret Varys was hiding from him and Jorah doubted it would be something that could give him hope but at that point he only wanted to see Daenerys once again, that she could forgive him about letting her go alone. Besides, how long would Robb Stark be around if he was still a boy, inexperienced in the art of war and fighting much more seasoned warriors? He would be there for her again, to be her only one.


	13. The Caged Lion

**Last chapter didn't have Dany and Robb in it but this one has plenty (for those of you who wanted that). For those who ask for _action_, soon we will have some of that.  
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**Thank you for your reviews and I'll be waiting to read what you think about this one. **

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**_Chapter 13 : The Caged Lion_**

Morning found him with her on top of him, his hands placed possessively over her hips and her nails digging almost painfully on his shoulders while she clung to him. He could feel her warm breath dancing over the shell of his ear. He himself tried to kiss her wherever he could reach.

Having her there certainly made things more bearable for him. She was a beautiful sight to greet each day and a perfect companion to share the bed every night. Not only that but she was excellent to talk to when he needed to clear his mind but didn't wantto be treated like a child. Besides, Dany reminded him that there weren't only death and war in the world.

"Robb," she exhaled in his ear followed by a mewling sound before she rolled off him, sighing and smiling with her eyes close.

He laughed at her, watching her lying there, naked with her perfect and unblemished skin, her body marvelous to the point he was more often than not tempted to just watch her all day long.

Reaching for her face, Robb leaned over her and kissed her sweetly. "You're beautiful," he whispered against her lips before she opened her eyes wide. She quickly caught his bottom lip between her teeth and grinned deviously. He matched her smile.

"Your smile has been missed, my Wolf," she said softly.

"I only smile for you these days. There's not much else in this world for me to be happy about. Not much more than you and my child." His hand fell upon her belly, caressing the bump lovingly.

Within him there was an impending need to see his child grow in a world where there would be peace, where he could grow and play freely like he had done after Robert's Rebellion. Summer had been marvelous for many but truth was that winter was coming – and every winter was harder than the last. War wasn't what Westeros needed – much less the North because they needed to gather food and prepare for the times to come.

She ran her hands along his hairline, grinning past him as if she wasn't looking at him but thinking about something else – probably about him but not in the present.

"Remember when I said I liked you better when you were in a bad mood – or like Bran says, with your Robb the Lord face?"

His eyebrows knotted together, slightly offended but also amused. Her musical laughter drew a smile out of him. "Robb the Lord?"

"Well, now it is your Robb _the King_ face," Dany quipped. "I lied. Your _just_ Robb face is far better – when you're carefree, smiling and happy."

"There's no time for me to be that Robb anymore," he replied, feeling strange at referring to himself as another. The Robb she spoke about was the child he no longer wanted to be. Perhaps if things had been different, he would still be that boy and then he would have become a carefree man. But life was hard and it soon taught him he needed to be stronger and more serious – laughter and games were forgotten.

"No. Do not tell me that because that's _my_ Robb. The King in the North, the Lord of Winterfell, that's the one who belongs to his subjects and the one his enemies fear. But you're other for me and that is the one who warmed up my heart – something not even the breath of a dragon could do."

"Is that right?" he asked, arching one eyebrow with the mischief of an amorous young man.

Dany nodded as her grin widened before she squealed when he climbed on top of her, naked just like her. He showered her with kisses, nuzzling her ear and tickling her sides as she laughed gaily.

He was certainly in not the best position when his mother entered the tent abruptly. All laughter died and he pulled away from Dany. Neither of them was embarrassed by their nakedness but they were about the intimate moment they were sharing.

"A raven from Horn Hill and another from Stannis," his lady mother said sternly. "Lord Randyll has decided to join you alongside many other houses in the Reach. Apparently they have decided to turn their backs on the Tyrells." She paused, pursing her lips as she looked at them trying to cover themselves with the furs. "I'll be waiting for you with the rest of the lords."

As soon as his mother had left, Robb groaned and jumped out of bed. He threw Dany a scolding look when she tried to muffle her giggles because he still heard them as he dressed.

-o-

It turned out that House Tarly and many others from the Reach had joined them because they weren't willing supporters of the Tyrell's ambitions to make Margaery queen. And so they were waiting for news from the new King in the North. What surprised Robb was the fact that they had accepted Daenerys as the rightful Queen of the Seven Kingdoms – something that was impossible considering that only men could rule.

But as Robb walked across the camp, led by a guard, he thought about the raven sent by Stannis. A raven that had carried a message written to destroy Joffrey's – and Cersei's – claim on the throne.

There, in front of him, was the caged lion. Robb had waited long to speak to him, hoping that some of his attitude had worn out. But Jaime Lannister was a man who took very little things seriously, confident that his luck would always get him out of trouble – or more likely, his father's fortune.

"King in the North!" The Kingslayer quipped, mocking him despite being in chains. "I keep expecting you to leave me in one castle or another for safekeeping, but you drag me along from camp to camp." The prisoner lifted his head to give him a lopsided smirk. "Have you grown fond of me, Stark? Is that it? I've never seen you with a girl."

Robb swallowed hard and pursed his lips. He had been careful to only be close to Daenerys in his tent, to never show more affection to her because that would make her a target of attack. If they knew they could hurt him through her or the baby, someone would attempt to do something. That was why Dany wore dresses that never showed her protruding belly and also why he had asked Dacey Mormont to accompany his Queen – since Dany didn't trust many men.

"If I left you with one of my bannermen, your father would know within a fortnight and my bannerman would receive a raven with a message, _release my son and you'll be rich beyond your dreams. Refuse and your house will be destroyed, root and stem_." He couldn't help the venom poured over his words. The man in irons deserved his hatred.

"You don't trust the loyalty of the men following you into battle?"

"Oh, I trust them with my life, just not with yours." Since young age he had learned that men's greatest weakness was greed and sometimes even the most honorable men found themselves tempted by it.

"Smart boy." Jaime had seen the little twitch of his eyes that Robb hadn't been able to conceal. "What's wrong? Don't like being called boy? Insulted?" he spat with mockery and Robb only held his gaze.

Soon a growl could be heard from outside the cell. A deep and menacing growl and Grey Wind's heavy breathing as the direwolf walked around the cage.

"You insult yourself, Kingslayer." Robb saw the man desperately trying to find the beast lurking behind him, but in the dark and from his position, it was impossible. "You have been defeated by a boy. You are held captive by a boy." And then Grey Wind finally showed himself. The Kingslayer didn't look as comfortable when he saw Robb's companion. "Perhaps, you will be killed by a boy..." Robb let the threat hang in the air.

Grey Wind joined him inside the cell, yellow eyes trained on their enemy.

But it wasn't only the animal that entered. Close behind Grey Wind, a figure in a hooded cloak emerged. The direwolf move instinctively to stand between Robb and her.

The look in the Kinslayer's face was priceless as he saw the small beast perched on her shoulder. Rhaegal cried in rage as Daenerys pushed the hood of her cloak back.

"You should show more respect to the King in the North," she said calmly. "And to me." Her violet eyes were like a lightning during a storm. "You could at least give me your condolences since you were so busy butchering my family last time."

Robb wasn't about to say something to her, to stop her because she had right to be furious at the man, despite knowing about her father's madness. She always regretted more the death of Rhaegar and her mother than anyone else's. Jaime Lannister was just a face for her enemies.

"Who are you?" Jaime asked with his teeth clenched.

"Who am I?" Dany's smile was vicious; nothing like the ones she gave Robb. "Daenerys Stormborn. Princess of Dragonstone. Rightful heir of the Iron Throne." She glanced at Robb. "Queen in the North."

"You married a Targaryen?" Jaime hissed. "It's… impossible. She should hate you."

"No Stark killed my family," Daenerys interrupted. "Your family did and for that I should behead you and show your lord father that you don't play with a dragon." She was seething and then Rhaegal lifted his head and a lick of fire left his muzzle.

If the lion had feared Grey Wind, now he was about to piss his pants.

Robb felt like laughing.

"You're stupid," Jaime spat at Robb. "A stupid boy at that. She will rip up your throat as soon as she gets her throne."

Robb looked impassive as he answered, "Is she? Perhaps. But you won't be around to find out."

"Are you going to kill me?"

"Too quick," Robb offered.

"Too merciful for your crimes," Dany provided while Rhaegal fell onto Grey Wind's back.

"Crimes?" Jaime scoffed.

"Stannis Baratheon sent ravens to all the High Lords of Westeros. King Joffrey Baratheon is neither a true King, nor a true Baratheon. He's your bastard son," Dany told in an even voice through her teeth.

Once he had read the message, he hadn't been able to hide it from her. She had some sort of right to know if one of those who claimed the throne didn't have any right. And she had been furious and wanted to face Jaime Lannister to prove him she was not a little girl, not scared of them – but Robb had been able to persuade her until she had calmed down.

"If that's true, Stannis is the rightful King. How convenient for him," the Kinslayer replied before really thinking.

"No brother of the Usurper could be king," Daenerys growled just as her and Robb's hands clung to Grey Wind's fur – hoping not to show their true rage.

"My father learned the truth. That's why you had him executed," Robb said with disgust.

"I was your prisoner when Ned Stark lost his head."

"Your son killed him so the world wouldn't learn who fathered him and you... you pushed my brother from a window because he saw you with the Queen," Robb said, doing his best to control his rage.

Bran had been such an active boy, climbing and running around. He wanted to be a knight and he had been crippled by the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard. It had been cruel to stop his dreams like that. He hadn't smiled anymore until Dany had arrived.

"You have proof? You want to trade gossip like a couple of fishwives?" Jaime retorted nervously as his eyes glanced at Rhaegal and Grey Wind.

"We want the truth," Dany replied, tugging on Grey Wind's fur until he growled.

"Truth? Are you ready for that, my lady?" It was odd, but to Robb it almost sounded as if Jaime felt pity for Dany. "I didn't order to kill your family but if you had seen what your father did, how he behaved…" Jaime paused and looked directly at Dany. "I'm only sorry for not killing him before. Rhaegar would've been a better king."

The young couple was equally taken aback by the confession until Jaime snorted a laugh.

"That of course would've meant Rhaegar ordering my beheading for treason. So I don't know how sorry I really am."

Robb decided to ignore the words spoken by the prisoner.

"I'm sending one of your cousins down the King's Landing with my peace terms."

"You think my father's going to negotiate with you? You don't know him very well," Jaime replied. And somehow Robb doubted anyone could know Tywin Lannister well. He was vicious and soulless – a man with no respect for anything more than power and wealth.

Since wealth Robb had not, he'd show him the Young Wolf had power. He had earned it through fear and battle.

"No. But he's starting to know me." Robb felt Daenerys' fingers brushing against his over Grey Wind's back.

"Three victories don't make you a conqueror," Jaime commented as if he were just stating facts.

Robb smirked almost evilly. "It's better than three defeats."

His hand closed over Dany's before he gave one little push to his pet direwolf in a silent order. Dany understood quite well what he was doing and so, she walked out of the cell before the King in the North, pulling her hood over her head once again while behind them they heard Grey Wind growling loudly and menacing, followed by Rhaegal's cry and the sound of what Robb already knew was the dragon breathing fire.

Later he heard that the flame had burn the tips of the Kingslayer's hair and that his reaction had provoked many laughs among the soldiers.

-o-

When Robb entered the tent, Irri was brushing Dany's hair until it was as shiny as silver threads. Dacey was near the entrance, mace at reach but with a smile on her face, looking beautiful and fierce like very few women could. After exchanging a few pleasantries with him and Dany, the heir of Bear Island left. She was soon followed by Irri who had been dismissed.

He didn't need to look closely to see Dany wasn't in a good mood. She was gnawing at her lip nervously.

"He's wrong," she whispered into the awkward silence that had fallen upon them.

He came from talking to Alton Lannister, Jaime's cousin. He had made clear which ones were his peace terms and had also threatened the Lannisters because he wanted nothing to do with them. It was obvious he was in no mood to speak about lies or Lannister's words – the same for him.

"I will not kill you. I'm not using you," she pled as she stood up.

He shed his cloak. "You said it yourself once."

"Things were different," she reminded him. "Do you believe it?"

He kept looking at her as she approached him, his gaze cold and tired.

"Do you?" she demanded.

Shaking his head, he called her name. "Dany."

Before he could realize, she had reached for the dagger at his belt and unsheathed it. His eyes widened and softened when she pressed it to her throat. Her other hand reached for his and placed it on the handle.

"Kill me if you think I will do that to you. It's easier now that I have no one to save me." She held his steely gaze. "No one will blame you."

"Stop it," he hissed and tried to pull away but she wouldn't budge. "Daenerys," he growled.

"I will never hurt you willingly, my Wolf. _Never._" She loosed her fingers from around his hand, enough for him to pull the dagger away. There was a tiny cut that marred her perfect pale skin and he felt guilty for it.

His thumb tried to wipe the drop of blood but his glove only smeared it, making it look more awful.

"You love me," she whispered in a pained breath, her eyes welled with tears. "You love me like no one has ever done, even if it's just because I'm carrying your child. And I love our child and you because you've given me something I've never had. Home." Tears were rolling down her cheeks. "I will never betray you."

He nodded, accepting her words and not denying her assumptions - his face without expression. He only ducked his head and kissed the small cut on her neck, like a wolf licking his mate's wounds, trying to heal her by sheer will.

She clung to him, her arms tightly wrapped around his shoulders.

That night, having her in his arms, was the closest thing he had to a home. She was right. They might have no castle or luxury but they made something much more stronger and he was going to destroy anything and anyone that threatened it.


	14. Dracarys

**There's a lot going on in this chapter but you will see it soon.  
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**Thank you for the constant feedback and I'm glad you're enjoying this as much as I am.**

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**_Chapter 14 : Dracarys_**

Under her feet she could feel the merciless cold of the snow. From the sky, snowflakes fell as soft a feathers but as sharp as daggers. Around her, everything was white like a canvas waiting for an artist to make something out of it. In front of her she could see a forest, with tall and ancient trees that had probably witnessed more than men could remember.

At the distance, she heard the cry of a wolf, howling with grief. It was enough to have her running towards the sound – before she would've been afraid of the beasts but living among them for so long, they were her family.

Only when she grabbed her skirts to run faster, she realized she was wearing very thin clothes; like the dresses she used to wear in Pentos. But she kept on running until she was lost in the forest, guided only by the wolf's cries.

In a clearing, she saw Robb covered in his furs standing in the middle, smiling at her with a baby in his arms.

She grinned at the sight of a healthy baby boy with a head covered by a faint layer of hair as white as the snow and eyes as blue as blue winter roses. _The Ice Dragon_, heir of the Seven Kingdoms and the North, Dany thought.

"My Wolf," she called, smiling as she approached Robb.

He only laughed with that deep and rich laugh of his that made her heart stutter with happiness. Robb was looking at their son, gurgling with joy as Robb's gloved hand tickled his neck.

But that beautiful scene was interrupted by the whimpering of a wolf.

Dany turned her head to the side in time to see Theon Greyjoy – Robb's most trusted man – tying Grey Wind's legs, leaving him defenseless on the snow before drawing his bow and shooting two arrows; one at the direwolf's right eye and the other to the side, close to his heart.

"No!" Dany screamed and as she did, Robb's laughter died. He fell onto his knees, holding their boy close to his chest.

From the shadows of the forest, a man emerged. He was carrying a dagger and making his way to Grey Wind silently, from behind the defenseless wolf. In the blink of an eye, the man pulled Grey Wind's head back and slit his throat.

"No!" she shouted again; her throat felt raw and tears ran down her cheeks but she couldn't move. "Stop it!"

In front of her, Theon fell on his knees, head first on the snow as he sobbed like child, begging for forgiveness to his _brother_.

And at the other side, she heard the piercing cry of a baby; her baby. She turned and saw Robb lying on the snow, gasping for air as blood gushed from a gash across his neck, flowing and tainting the white snow with a scarlet red.

Dany ran to him, falling on her knees next to him, crying and whimpering.

"Robb, my Wolf," she whispered behind her tears, while her hand brushed his soft, curly reddish brown hair. His blue eyes soft and full of love and apologies bore into hers. "My love," she pled.

Meanwhile, their baby was sobbing, curled against Robb's chest while his little and pudgy hands were bathed by his father's blood. With one arm, Dany cradled their child against her chest. Her hair was dirtied by the blood on the baby's hands.

"Iagan," Robb breathed out before his heart stopped. And as it did, hatred and fury obscured Daenerys' heart.

Suddenly large shadows fell upon her and her child. Behind her stood three dragons – her dragons – as tall as the trees behind them, menacing and powerful.

Theon was almost choked on his tears, his body freezing against the snow, punishing himself for his crimes.

But the pale man, the one with the strange eyes and the impassive face, stood there, enjoying the suffering of both Robb and Grey Wind. She could never forget how the man looked, what he had done to her and her family.

She swallowed her tears hard and made her voice ice as she ordered with all the strength left in her, "_Dracarys_!"

And she stood tall, even as tears still burned her cheeks and in her chest she felt her heart withering. She held her son with bloodied hands, and both of them watched the murderer burn, consumed by dragonfire.

-o-

She woke up crying and having a hard time breathing but soon she was engulfed by the strong arms that gave her comfort.

"Dany," Robb whispered in her ear and made comforting sounds as he stroke her back. Her belly was still in place, big and swollen with the boy she carried in her. "Are you all right?"

She smiled at him and his eyes. They had the spark of life and youth and he was breathing and alive. Her hands reached for his face and she kissed him with all her might. Her brow furrowed as if they were sharing the first kiss in many years apart, remembering his mouth and his body, erasing the pain of losing him.

He was smiling at her but his face showed confusion. "Dany?"

"We're having a boy," she murmured, deciding it was the only piece of information she was going to reveal – of the rest, she would take care of. She wouldn't let anyone harm her King, the father of her beautiful boy.

Taking his hand in hers, she placed it over her belly.

"You can't know that," he said in an amused voice. "I'd be happy with a girl, as well."

"But he's a boy," she grinned at him. "Strong and healthy, with eyes bluer than yours, like sapphires, and hair whiter than mine."

"You sound so sure," he said as he chuckled. "I might believe you."

"And his name will be Iagan," she stated firmly. "You told me." She caressed the side of his face lovingly as his brow furrowed. "And you will love him with everything you have," she murmured and soon sensed his worry for her, for the sadness that dripped from her words.

"Dany, what were you dreaming about?" Robb asked as softly as he could without sounding demanding – but her wolf was strong and fearless, and he was willing to show his teeth to his enemy without any regret, always going forward. He was scared for her.

"Stupid things," she replied, looking away from his truth-demanding gaze. "But promise me one thing." He nodded hesitantly. "Don't trust Theon."

He scowled at her and she knew it was the wrong thing to say. "I've known him longer than I've known you. Why would I listen to your advice? He's like my brother."

"But you don't have the same father," she retorted. "And he didn't have your loving mother or your family. He wasn't raise to be a Lord and, more importantly, he's not you." She rose to her knees in the bed and cradled his face, brushing her thumbs over his stubble. The image of him, clean shaven was so far away. He looked like a warlord now, not like the proper lord belonging to a castle. "Unlike most men, you have honor and believe in truth. You must see this, my Wolf. Don't trust in the words of men; trust in what you see they do."

"That would mean I should trust in many less than I do. What are you asking from me?"

His posture, his voice, told her enough. Over him she had power money or war couldn't buy, just like the one he had on her. She'd do anything he asked for if he gave her the right reasons – because if there was something they couldn't change about the other was their strong wills.

"To be careful. Fight like you've done, like the King in the North but start thinking as such as well. A king doesn't trust in anyone. He plays the game to win, not just trusting in the honor of the other players." Dany paused long enough so he could give it a thought. "The king shouldn't even trust in his pawns."

-o-

He had seemingly followed her advice because next morning Robb told her about his plans to send his mother to make a deal with Renly Baratheon, so she was riding to the Stormlands.

Since many of the Tyrells' bannermen had turned their backs on them and therefore Renly, Margaery's new husband, Robb would offer him to keep the Stormlands if he joined him and to not take actions against his family – though he didn't include Stannis. If he refused, Robb would inform Randyll Tarly and Dorne, so the attack would begin there, after which Robb planned on moving West, forcing the Lannister out of their lands while Stannis attacked King's Landing.

He would deal with Stannis later but for the moment he would let him do his part.

A smart man, Dany thought. But he still needed to think about the allies he would need to keep in order to rule over a kingdom, and more if he had to take the place as _the_ King of the Seven Kingdoms instead of only the North.

If Renly accepted, Robb's army would be of more than one hundred and fifty thousand men. If not, the numbers didn't change drastically but to lay siege to King's Landing would take longer.

When Catelyn said her goodbyes to her son, Daenerys felt like an intruder. If that was how mother was supposed to treat their children – with so much love and care – she hoped it came from instinct because she had never learned it from her mother. She had always missed her and sometimes felt guilty for being the reason of her death, as Viserys seemed to believe.

"Your father would be so proud of you," Cately whispered to Robb before turning to her. Dany felt somewhat surprised by Catelyn's warm smile and the way she held her hands in hers. "I had my doubts. I can't deny I've still got them but you've done well so far and I pray the Gods you keep doing so." Cately put a gentle hand on Daenery's protruding belly. "My marriage was political as well but love was born. I wish the same for you both."

"I'll be loyal to him," Dany promised in a firm voice, looking into Catelyn's eyes. "I'll take care of him." She placed a hand over Catelyn's on her stomach and then her gaze drifted to Robb, a few feet away. "And of him as well."

She was pulled into a warm hug in which Robb's mother carefully combed her hair with her fingers. Not for the first time, Dany thought she had finally found a family within Robb's – so she hugged the older woman back.

"He needs it."

Of course Robb did but he didn't need to be protected from a sword or war. He needed protection from other Lords' plans. Plans that would lead him to treason as bad decisions – he was so honorable, he sometimes forgot he had to prevail. It would be better for him to remember the words of his mother's house. _Family. Duty. Honor._ In that order.

-o-

"I want the truth," Dany said as one of Robb's men opened the cell in which the Kingslayer was kept. "You said you knew it, so I want to hear it."

"Not even a greeting, my lady." Jaime Lannister huffed. In daylight he looked dirty and thinner than when he had been taken prisoner, but he somehow kept his attitude as if he wasn't really there, as if they only had trapped his body. "Or should I say my Queen?"

"Stop the mockery and speak before I bring my dragon again," she spoke loudly and with a tone that implied she was not joking.

He looked up at her and pursed his lips. "You do not want to listen to it," he replied softly.

"Then, for what other reason I've come to you? I do not enjoy spending time with an oath breaker."

"It's a long story," he warned.

"I want to know what you know about my father."

He snorted a sad laugh. "Oh, it's not your father this story is about for what everyone speaks here and across the Narrow Sea is true in some way or another." He looked at her in the eye, without remorse or insincerity. "It's your mother no one knows about."

And so she listened to every word the lion uttered, without interrupting him, without threatening him to kill him for his insults against her father – because somehow she knew Viserys could have been like that.

Dany clenched her teeth to keep her tears at bay when the Kinslayer told her about what her mother had gone through as her father slipped further into madness. He didn't seem to be doing so to purposefully hurt her pride, but he said things calmly as if he could remember them vividly.

He also told her no one had done a thing to save her mother from the horrible things her father had done.

"You swore to protect her," Dany exclaimed. "How could you let him do that to her?"

It occurred to her that before her birth, her mother was weak due to the torture she had suffered at hands of her father. And maybe it wasn't her fault. Maybe Rhaella had been abused by someone she loved and couldn't see the fault in that – just like it had happened to her with Viserys until she opened her eyes and saw the cruelty in him. Or maybe she was protecting her children.

Dany wanted to believe in Jaime's words because they offered some strange comfort.

"And I swore to protect the King. Do tell, Princess, what oath was more important than the other?" Jaime asked as if he truly wanted an answer but she didn't have it.

"I'll come back to cut your tongue if I discover you have lied to me," she threatened.

He only smirked. "Many men will be grateful for that."

-o-

The words he was about to speak wouldn't be of her liking, she knew it as soon as Dacey informed her Robb had asked for her presence.

Dany was fond of Dacey Mormont, and it wasn't just because of her family name – she had learned Jorah's name wasn't one she should pronounce from the first day of her arrival. Dacey was a soldier, very skilled with a mace but also graceful like a lady. She also had a good sense of humor that amused Daenerys. She was beautiful despite her height but not many men dared to pursue her for romantic reasons.

"I'm free," Dacey claimed. "My children will be mine. Children of the Bear. I don't need a man."

But needing and wanting was a different thing.

As soon as she stood before Robb, he spoke. "You're going back to Winterfell at first light."

Her eyebrows knotted together and anger invaded her. "No. I'm not leaving you."

"Any time now you'll give birth and I won't let you stay here." He replied stubbornly.

"I rode until birth! I'm strong, you know that!"

"You rode but not in time of war," he spat back. "My child will not be born in a battlefield. I won't let you do that. I want the both of you safe and I need you to look for Bran and Rickon while Mother is away."

"Robb," she pled.

"You'll take Irri, Dacey and Theon with you. You will also go with the Kingslayer and keep him prisoner there, since you're the only one I can trust with him," he demanded sternly before his eyes softened. "I'll join you as soon as I can. Meanwhile, take care of our child."

She hurried to him and rose on tiptoes to claim his lips in a desperate kiss. "Do not send me away from you. I need to be sure you're safe. I need you."

"Dany," he sighed, grabbing her wrists to push her off him as if it physically hurt to hear her begging.

She cried but furiously wiped her tears away with her cold and pale hands. "You are sending Theon to the Iron Islands? You trust him?"

"I'm sending him with you." He breathed deeply to calm himself down. "I'm doing what you asked, keeping him away from me. But you will have to keep an eye on him."

She swallowed hard. "I'll leave Rhaegal with you."

"I can't take care of him," he refused.

"He'll take care of you! And it's an order from your Queen, so you will follow it," she spewed. "Just like you've had Grey Wind, you'll have Rhaegal."

He only nodded before chuckling. "I'm taking orders from a woman, now. What kind of King in the North am I?"

She couldn't help but laughing through her tears. "The kind who loves his wife. And your heart is the one of a warrior, longing to be back home."

Soon his arms were around her, and his lips kissed her and every inch of skin he could reach as he undressed her. It felt desperate and hurried, proving that he wanted to be away from her as little as she did.

They didn't sleep at all and he spent great part of the time making sure she would miss him even more because each kiss and touch reminded her of all the love she was about to leave behind. But she was sure of one thing, she'd return to his side sooner than he wished for but in time for when he needed her.


	15. Back Home

**I won't apologize much for the long time since the last update, because I know what you want the most is a new chapter.  
**

**So here it is.**

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**_Chapter 15 : Back Home_**

She wasn't completely content about Robb's decision. Not because she thought he was wrong or doing something inappropriate, but because she was a fighter and she had felt extremely well in the middle of the field, swinging her mace around.

From her point of view, she knew she wasn't the only one who was hesitant about leaving. Actually, she knew Daenerys was by far more upset than her about going back to Winterfell. With her round belly proudly showing, the Queen in the North was more stubborn than ever. It amused Dacey to no end seeing the woman of the white hair standing in front of the King as if they were equals, when other women would seek for his approval by being submissive.

It felt like intruding when she caught sight of the couple kissing goodbye. But Dacey also felt a twinge of jealousy at the sight of Daenerys hands firmly placed on Robb's face, pulling him forcefully to her while he tangled his fingers in her hair almost brutally. There was such passion in them, Dacey felt she might have wanted that for herself.

"Your Grace?" she called as they gently pulled away from the other.

Both smiled and chuckled at her excessive courtesy. She knew Robb long before he made young maidens sigh at sight of him and Daenerys refused to be treated like the other ladies because she was a survivor not a girl raised to be in exuberant parties.

"Lady Mormont," Daenerys called and when she was about to retort she hadn't need to call her that, Daenerys just cocked an eyebrow.

"Women all over the Seven Kingdoms are throwing themselves at men who claim the throne, for the small chance to be Queen. And you, the one who is, do not want to be called by your title?"

Robb folded his arms over his chest and watched his wife, as daring her, as if he enjoyed seeing her trapped under her own ropes.

"You're my friend. Robb's friend. I deem unnecessary to follow such formalities in private."

Dacey looked at Robb as his wife spoke. Many boys his age were just boys, hoping to become knights and live a life full of adventures; many boys were now becoming soldiers and learning that life wasn't as easy in the battlefield, much less when the enemy was bloodthirsty. And in just months, Robb had gone from a charming boy to a strong and handsome man, married, and soon to be father. Life had hit him hard but he had been lucky to be paired with another of his kind.

"Take care of her for me, Dacey," Robb said sternly. "Of my child as well. I'm trusting you with the most precious belonging I have."

"And who am I supposed to ask to take care of you for me?" Dany wondered aloud.

The jealousy and honest worry laced to her voice were justified. Dacey knew that before Daenerys arrival, some women had tried to scurry into Robb's tent, into his bed and see for themselves if the Young Wolf was as fiery and passionate in bed as he was as a warlord.

He smirked. "You needn't to worry about that."

"Just remember what I said," Daenerys said, cradling Robb's face in her pale hands. "Promise."

"I promise," he murmured.

Turning to Dacey, Daenerys nodded. "We can go now. Let's take our party to Winterfell."

-o-

The hooded cloak had become some sort of signature piece of clothing for Daenerys. And now as they traveled through the mostly deserted path, with Theon leading the way and also the Kingslayer's horse since the man's were tied together and therefore useless – and also because he was a prisoner – Daenerys wore it as she silently followed Irri.

Dacey was very aware of every sound she heard but she was also trapped in her head.

She had heard Irri, Daenerys' handmaid, mention a man named Jorah, a Westerosi. The bile rising up her throat burnt with fury. Her cousin had been the disgrace of the family. It didn't matter that he had committed his sins when he fell madly in love because he was supposed to be stronger.

And that man had been one of Daenerys confidantes.

Once or twice she had wanted to ask but then embarrassment was more powerful and she didn't dare.

"Uh," Daenerys muttered softly, calling Dacey's and Irri's attention. But she just chuckled as she rubbed her belly with one hand. "He's moving. I think he doesn't want to go either." Sadness took over her features but she quickly shook her head.

"Is the _Ice Dragon_ flying?" Jaime quipped but Theon pulled the rope wrapped around his hands and the Kingslayer lost his balance. He glared at the ironborn.

"Quiet, Lannister. That's the Queen you're talking about," Theon warned.

Those two were so similar in many aspects, Dacey was frightened. It was like watching the future. Would Theon ever become a new version of Jaime Lannister? Because both were sarcastic and lacked respect for anyone; great fighters but lousy friends to most; both handsome but the Kingslayer, despite his years, had certainly an advantage in that aspect.

"Dacey?" Daenerys called, patting the long neck of her horse. The animal slowed so the two women were side to side.

"Yes?" The tall woman replied. She looked like a mighty warrior on her horse, with her mace hanging from her belt, and a sword across her back. And despite the outfit, she was still graceful and feminine. Her long and dark hair was fluttering around her pale face thanks to the light breeze. "Do you feel well?"

Daenerys chuckled softly. "Robb worries. Do not do so as well. I am fine and so is my child."

Nodding, Dacey kept the peaceful trotting of the horse.

"If I dare to ask you something," Daenerys muttered hesitantly. She waited until Dacey's eyes locked with hers to give more urgency to her words because, by the looks of it, it seemed necessary. "I need you to be my right hand. I know, as soon as we arrive to Winterfell, Maester Luwin will be quite helpful but you are the only one I can trust with weapons."

"Theon is your lord husband's best friend; practically a brother," Dacey murmured, hoping the chirping of the birds above their heads was enough to conceal their words.

"But he is not," Dany replied, tugging at her cloak in a nervous fashion. "And I'm in dire need of people I can trust in. Nothing would please me more than count you among those because I can see honesty in you; the kind of honesty I see in many of the true northerners."

"I swore to protect your husband. I'd be honored to protect his lady wife, as well."

"My friend," Dany said, smiling. "You need to keep an eye on Theon for I think Robb trusts with eyes closed and ears covered."

Eyes widening, Dacey faltered for a moment.

"You thought I was about to ask you to keep an eye on the Kingslayer, were you not?" Daenerys filled the silence. "In some sense, you are right. But I'm not worried about him. He won't find many allies in Winterfell and, what's a lion without his roar?"

Dacey chuckled. "True. You're right."

Pausing, Daenerys sighed heavily. She was incredible at pretending to be fine, but Dacey could tell she was tired if not for the ride, because of the weather that had turned increasingly colder as they moved further into the North.

"We'll find a place for us to spend the night, Dany," Dacey uttered in a soft voice.

At the nickname, the Queen in the North, smiled.

Maybe Dacey had also found an ally and friend. She was thankful for the vote of confidence but also because she was not alone, since she missed her sisters and the bustling life in the camp, where there was always something to do.

At that moment Drogon, the biggest of the two dragons Dacey had seen, perched himself on Daenerys's shoulder. The animal was as big as a medium sized dog but with his wings fully extended, he looked like a frightening creature of the night.

Pulling a piece of meat from a bag, Dany offered it to Drogon. The dragon took it and soon flew ahead of them to _cook_ the meat and eat it promptly.

"At least we know we won't be cold," Jaime Lannister quipped, looking at the animal with a mix of revulsion and fear.

"Shut your mouth," Theon repeated. "Or I'll feed you to it myself."

Somehow, Dacey doubted Theon would be this careless if the Kingslayer weren't tied. And she wouldn't blame the knight for cutting off Greyjoy's tongue.

-o-

After a night spent at an inn, since Daenerys adamantly refused to ask for refuge to any lord afraid of where their loyalties stood, they continued their journey to Winterfell with renewed energy. Luckily for them, the distance was quickly covered by their horses.

Dacey didn't know what to think when, at the sight of the Stark's castle, Daenerys smiled brightly as someone who was arriving home.

It occurred to the heir of Bear Island that Winterfell probably was the first stable home Daenerys had had. The Starks had welcomed her if not with open arms, cordially. And soon those boys had fallen for her because no woman would speak as fondly about Rickon and Bran as Dany did if they hadn't liked her back.

Dacey had shared a few good laughs with Danerys as Theon and Jaime Lannister couldn't stop fighting about every single thing until Irri lost her temper and shut them both with a fury previously unknown. The woman had spoken in _dothraki_ and probably said many crass words by how much Dany had laughed.

When they finally stepped into the castle, servants ran to them and Maester Luwin trudged into the courtyard, studying Danerys and her belly.

"Dany! Dany!" a voice shouted happily and soon a blur of reddish brown hair showed up, followed by a large wolf with dark fur.

Rickon looked bigger than Dacey remembered but also content as he wrapped his arms tightly around Daenerys legs, pressing his face firmly against the protruding belly. He sighed softly when his brother's wife smoothed his unruly hair lovingly.

"You came back," he muttered with relief.

"I promised."

"Mother promised, too. She hasn't come back," he retorted bitterly.

"She's helping Robb. She wanted to come but she is also looking for Sansa and Arya." Dany leaned forward and hugged the small boy. She pressed a kiss atop of his head to conceal her own sadness at the thought of having Robb away.

Dacey had noticed how strong Daenerys pretended to be; how she hid her weaknesses or disguise them to make them seem like strengths. Robb had unknowingly made an excellent ally for many aspects of his life.

Rickon placed a hand over Dany's belly and his brow furrowed. "Why are you bigger?"

Theon cackled as he pushed the Kingslayer to the dungeons. "She had little to do with Robb spending so much time fighting. She ate."

Dacey smacked him upside the head, and glared at him.

Meanwhile, an amused Maester Luwin explained the facts to Rickon. As he comprehended with childish innocence, a smile grew on his face. He would have a friend with whom to run around and play again. A nephew, even if for him the word meant little.

"Bran is in the Godswood with Viserion," Rickon said absentmindedly while toying with Dacey's mace. He looked up at her and grinned. "I like it," he muttered, pointing at her mace. "Will you teach me? Bran cannot and Theon never wants to. Robb tried but he left."

"I'll teach you a couple of things," Dacey said with good humor. He was a very wild yet lovable boy.

War was very hard on children but if she could help, she would do her best to make a happy child out of the youngest Stark.

"Let's go. Bran must be waiting for us," Daenerys said and took Rickon's hand at the time she indicated Dacey to follow her.

They walked through the castle. It was quiet for such a big place; nothing like a few months ago with the visit of the former king or when all the Starks were at home.

As they approached the Godswood, they heard the noises from Viserion. His brother, Drogon, responded to the cries with eagerness. There was something about Viserion's wails that made them more frightening than Drogon's. They were deeper and made Dacey's skin crawl. When they finally saw the white dragon, they noticed why.

Viserion was slightly bigger than Grey Wind and with his wings open he was larger than any beast they had encountered. There was no explanation other than the boys, Bran and Rickon, had done a magnificent job at taking care of the animal.

Even Daenerys looked surprised.

This was another army, one grown by boys who couldn't even begin to imagine what they had on their hands.

Bran smiled as he patted Viserion's head. "I will ride him soon and join Robb. We'll free the North."


	16. Wolf or Man

**So this time it has taken me less time to update. Hopefully you will enjoy it (and also you won't find the a typo as colossal as last time, for which I give my apologies and thanks since you took the time to let me know).  
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**Until next time.**

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_**Chapter 16 : Wolf or Man**_

Since she had been gone, a part of him felt missing. For the first time he was alone. He had no mother to make him feel like a willful boy fighting a war against the proclaimed king, nor a wife who made him feel like a man about to be father of the heir of the North and all the Seven Kingdoms.

Robb didn't even have Theon to make crude jokes and stupid remarks about the conditions in which they were living in that camp. He almost missed the jest his friend made about whores and how they were throwing themselves for free at the King in the North. In his head – and heart – he had no room for any other but Dany. He just had no clue as to why and how they had grown so close.

Still looking at his map and the wooden figurines representing the armies, Robb wished he could knock them down as easily. That way war would be over and he could go back home to his child and wife, to his brothers, and his sisters that he would save. Perhaps he would plan a trip to The Wall to visit Jon and tell him about his nephew. But that was nothing more than wishful thinking.

He was no longer fighting a war to just avenge his father's death and free the North from the claws of greedy monarchs who wanted to rule over others and enjoy the wealth of fortunes they amassed by disregarding their duties with their people. Time and battles, marriage and the loss of his father, everything till that moment had led to him to fight for the Iron Throne. There was no turning back. He had to go forward and fight war until the end. Anything less would cost him more than he was willing to pay.

As far as he knew, Daenerys no longer wished the title of Queen with the same passion as when he met her for the first time. Along the way, she had found more to live for – a babe and family. She was so different from the coldhearted woman he had imagined.

He took a small piece of raw meat and placed it in front of Rhaegal; and a part of the rather large steak was fed to Grey Wind. Watching the dragon quietly roasting his food and eating, he was reminded of Dany and her love for _her children_, her dragons; the last of them.

One of his hands scratched Grey Wind's neck while he kept feeding the green dragon. So far, he had behaved as much as possible for such young beast and, next to Grey Wind, had also helped him to build a reputation of a frightening being – the Young Wolf.

"You better be nice," he muttered, smirking at Rhaegal. "No more burning," his blue eyes fell upon his direwolf, "or trying to bite Olyvar's fingers. He's been the only one willing to get near you beside me."

Grey Wind looked slightly ashamed as he whined but Rhaegal was haughty like a woman he knew. Sometimes they were the only ones he could talk to because Dany wasn't there anymore.

"Your Grace?" Smalljon Umber asked as he poked his head inside the tent. He looked as tall as his father but younger and wilder if possible.

Robb lifted his gaze, as someone who was expecting to see another man replying to the greeting. He couldn't seem to get used to his new title. But he soon stood up; Rhaegal was quick to find a place next to him, on Grey Wind's back.

"Smalljon."

"We've captured a man who was lurking around the camp. He injured two men." His straight and hard face spoke about his inheritance as a Northman. "He claims to know your lady wife. He demands to see her."

His brow furrowed. "Have you told him she is no longer here?"

"No. We haven't said a thing. We await your orders."

Taking his cloak and draping it over his shoulders, Robb said firmly, "Lead the way. I want to hear what he wants with my wife and why he came."

-o-

As he approached the man held by a few of his soldiers, Robb studied him. He was older, older than his own father would have been, yet he had the same demeanor most Northmen had, but his skin signaled he had spent a long time under a sun that was far warmer than the one in those lands.

"What's your name?" Robb barked as soon as he was at reasonable distance.

The man only glared at him until one of Robb's man kicked him behind the knee. "Answer to the King!"

"King," the now prisoner scoffed as he managed to stand tall. He was a still strong and capable man despite his years; he had obviously been trained, and probably like a noble man by the way he stood. "You're only a child. Starks believe they are so honorable, so just. Think that's enough to be king?"

Smalljon drew his sword and was about to raise it against the man when Robb interrupted him, lifting his leather covered hand to stop him.

"Speak your name," Robb repeated eerily calmly as Grey Wind and Rhaegal approached from behind him.

The man's eyes widened slightly at the sight of the dragon, but not as one who had never seen such creature. He looked at it as someone who had found a known beast.

"Where is she? Her dragon is here, that means she's near. Where?" he demanded.

Looking at Rhaegal, Robb sighed. "I could very well let this wolf and this dragon leave nothing of you. They will obey and you won't see it coming fast enough." His cold blue eyes fell upon the rugged man. "Your name."

"So you can finish what your father started?"

Robb clenched his jaw and his eyes sparked with something akin to wrath. He no longer liked his father's name being spoken by those who were his enemies; and this man clearly held a grudge. For a moment he was tempted to let Smalljon rip open his throat and that his animal companions could have a feast. But he was his father's son.

"You know her. I do this for her, not you." It was an ultimatum and the man knew it. "Your name."

"Jorah Mormont."

_Ser Jorah_, Dany would say but Robb knew better. The man had been stripped of all titles once he dishonored his family. Maege Mormont wouldn't be happy once she found out about his return, and probably take justice with her own hands if he allowed it.

Before the man from Bear Island had fled, Eddard Stark had sentenced him to death. Ice was going to be used to behead him and now that he had returned, the punishment was still waiting for him.

"Where is she?"

Robb was a frightening image as he stood there, expressionless and cold. He was judge, jury, and executioner. He had the power to decide what to do and yet, he wanted to take his time.

"She's not here."

"Where?"

Robb approached him, fearing nothing, like a wolf studying his prey. "You have a debt pending with the North. Justice to be fulfilled."

"I was granted a royal pardon," Jorah replied somewhat nervously, but concealing it like every prideful, yet former, lord.

"Surely one you earned by doing wrong to someone." That seemed to fuel the anger of the man but Robb had no fear for anyone. He had already accepted that fear would be the one thing that could become his downfall because he would become a player to win the game. Like Dany said, he would trust no one and he would move the pieces to his favor cleverly. "Your royal pardon means nothing to me or the North. We are a free and independent kingdom."

"You might be Ned Stark's son but you are not him. You're still a summer boy and cold hasn't frozen your blood yet."

As soon as Jorah stopped talking, Robb swiftly snatched Smalljon's sword from his hands and pressed the edge of the blade against Jorah's neck.

"I'm not him, you're right. My lord father was an honorable man, just and forgiving. He was a kind man." Robb pressed the blade harder until it was almost digging on Jorah's skin, watching as he visibly swallowed. "I'm not him," he repeated. "I'm Robb Stark, the Young Wolf, King in the North. I remember. I will make my enemies pay. There's no pure honor in times like this. Father's sin was to believe in goodness. I only believe in blood; you spill it or you honor it."

"You want to be her king?" Jorah murmured. It was enough for Robb to listen to him, since he was so close.

"I _am_ her king. And she's queen. Our son will be prince."

At that last secret being confessed, Jorah looked almost sad. "She's carrying your child? It can't be. She only agreed to marry you to sit in the Iron Throne. She promised to drink moon tea because the idea of having a traitor inside her seemed abhorrent."

"A traitor?" Robb smirked almost evilly. "She's far smarter than people believes. She's my wife. Her child is no traitor."

"Kill me," Jorah spat, seemingly outraged and desperate. Would a life of wandering and losing do that to a man?

"Too easy," Robb replied, pulling the sword away and handing it to Smalljon. "You'll fight for me until the end of war, after which you'll take the black."

"I won't!" Jorah growled angrily at the orders of a man who was still a child in his eyes.

"You will because you love her," Robb stated simply and Smalljon Umber's eyes widened, just like those of the handful of man around them. "Would you let me die? Would you kill me in my sleep? Would you disappoint her by letting her husband die when she needs me to get her throne and loves me enough to give me an heir?" Robb's hand fell heavy upon Grey Wind's back to pet him absentmindedly. Rhaegal wailed as he pressed his muzzle against Robb's arm, showing where his loyalties rested. "Your weakness, Jorah Mormont, is to love so much, you're willing to do anything. Would Daenerys ask you to murder Joffrey, you'd do it no matter how stupid it sounds."

"You're going to play me?"

Robb lifted his gaze from his animals to meet Jorah's piercing eyes. "I'm playing everyone now. I'm no child to be manipulated. It's my turn."

If he wanted to survive, and even more if he wanted to win, he had to hide his kind nature and forgo his black and white sense of justice. Unlike his enemies, the Young Wolf was still growing and learning. There was plenty of room for him to perfect his strategies.

"Release him."

-o-

A letter had let him know about Dany's safe arrival to Winterfell. It was quite short but penned by her hand. It told him everything he already assumed. Bran and Rickon felt lonely and they missed their older brothers – they hadn't heard much about Jon, Robb guessed. Dany was open about her feelings for him. And about Theon, she only said he wasn't very content about being trapped away from the action but he wouldn't leave for Pyke – Dacey had promised to harm him if so.

He folded the letter and wrote one of his own. He told her about Jorah and what he had done about him. For respect to her, he refrained from cutting the man's head off, but he had been extremely tempted. He truly believe he was right by the stories Daenerys had shared with him; Jorah was madly in love with her, enough to put his own needs in a second place to hers.

He sent the raven, and heaved a sigh.

There were troops to be inspected and Roose Bolton had to lead part of the army to the East while he and his dear uncle Brynden Tully, best known as the _Blackfish_, moved West. They would attack Lannister's lands so they would need to make a choice: defend their lands or King's Landing and the reign.

The Stark-Tully army would take the first step, taunting Tywin Lannister. Soon, from the Reach, Randyll Tarly and an army of about fifty thousand man would start their assault to meet them at Lannisport, if it came to that. They would crush them as Roose Bolton lead part of army to the weakened troops the Lannisters would keep around King's Landing, that with the help of the lords from Crackclaw Point, and the army from Dorne if his mother reached an agreement with Renly, would end the last of the enemies quicker than many would've thought.

It was a dark, moonless and rainy night. Grey Wind was in charge of leading them through the forest. The trusted direwolf was also in charge of spooking the horses of the green army, still training under Stafford Lannister, hoping to face a war they thought far from them.

In the still of the night, Grey Wind's growls felt like a cold blade piercing the air. The howling was a stab through the enemy's heart.

"The King in the North!" Men cried before rushing into the battlefield.

Robb drew his sword and thanked the gods for the dark night because blood stained everything, and had he seen it, he might have considered they were being cruel. This was hardening him, shaping him into a warlord.

Six thousands of them massacred almost all of the enemy's army, and few were taken as prisoners.

The blade of his sword was stained by dry blood once morning came, and all around him he could see dead or injured men, but few belonged to his troops.

Jorah Mormont stood before him, a small and rather apathetic smirk on his face. "You fight well, for a boy. But this is nothing."

"It's enough to let them know we're serious," Brynden Tully replied with a mix of disgust at Jorah and pride at Robb. "It's a good strategy."

"Yes, but we need to keep despoiling the Westerlands. They will see no other option but to abandon the East and… this will end."

"Is that so?" Jorah muttered as the eyes of the men scanned the field, silent sisters and healers everywhere. "Would this ever end?"

"As long as there's power to be fought over, it never really ends," Brynden said somberly.

It was something he did not wish to agree with, but Robb knew it was true.

"Then at least until next summer," because _winter was coming_ and he wished nothing more than be prepared for those cruel times about to come, to spend them wrapped in his wife's body and knowing his family was safe.

Jorah snorted a laugh. "Funny how in the South they don't believe how merciless the cold is, and a Wolf has come and show them." Staring at Robb, he added, "maybe I was wrong. You're not your father because you're willing to take the power he was so afraid of."

Myths said his father's heart was made of stone, but Robb knew better. His father never wished more than to live peacefully with his family. He wanted all, instead. The blood of the wolf ran thicker through him even if his physical features didn't show it.

The Young Wolf would be cold-hearted, just but merciless. He would ride an enormous direwolf in battlefield, as people said. He would be immortal if he had to.


	17. Mended Oaths

**Thank you for your reviews and welcome to the many of you who are now following the story. I'm surprised by the amount of followers. It's quite flattering, really.  
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**Here's the new chapter.**

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**_Chapter 17 : Mended Oaths_**

It was strange but, until she had spent the night in their bed, Daenerys had not realized how different it was to be living in a tent. She certainly still missed Robb's warmth next to her and feeling his soft snores close to her ear.

Jhiqui still placed Blue Winter roses in her room and the hearth kept the chambers at a very nice temperature. Inside her, she started to harbor a desire for the end of war as soon as possible. She wanted her husband by her side, whether he was king of the Seven Kingdoms or King in the North or anything. She didn't have a notion of when she had wanted to be with Robb more than she wanted the Iron Throne but it certainly felt more natural.

If her family hadn't been exterminated, if her father hadn't lost his mind in the first place, she couldn't help but to think her life would have been much different. She would've been married to Viserys in the worst case or, in case of political needs, married off to some lord she would have never met before. She often liked to daydream that said lord would have been Robb, and the reason of the marriage was clear: the North was always a threat for the rest of the realm. But they would have been extremely happy, maybe just as his parents had been despite everything. Their wedding would have been an event, nothing like their real one celebrated in a dilapidated inn in King's Landing. They wouldn't have spent their days worrying about battles and conspirators.

The door of her chambers cracked open, and before Dany could open her mouth, Shaggy poked his snout in. A smile touched her lips and soon Rickon was tiptoeing his way in.

"Dany?" he whispered in a small, conspiratorial voice that made her giggle but she quickly covered her mouth with her fists and sank deeper under the furs.

The bed shifted under Rickon's weight when the boy climbed on it.

"Hi," she breathed out and he grinned at her in that boyish way that reminded her a bit of Robb but also as if she could have imagined the smile of her own child growing inside her.

Lately Iagan had been kicking more often, making his presence noticeable. Like his father, he was not exactly fond of early hours, so when she woke up in the middle of the night, he complained by swimming inside her with fury.

"May I?" Rickon asked, lifting the covers to lie next to her. She nodded because out of all the Starks, Rickon had been ignored more than anyone, and he missed his mother terribly. They both missed Robb. It seemed natural to look for console in each other.

That wild hair of his called for her hand, she felt the need to smooth it and comfort him.

He sighed happily before telling Shaggy to rest on the floor, at his side of the bed, which in reality was Robb's side, but sadly the pillows and furs didn't smell like him, no matter how hard Dany tried to bury her nose in search for it.

"When is Mother coming back?"

The same question came from his mouth every day but since his father's death, Bran claimed it got increasingly hostile. It was no longer a question but a demand.

"Hopefully soon, but sadly I don't know."

"And Robb?"

With a hand on her belly, Daenerys's face twisted with sorrow. She wished she didn't miss him so much, that her heart didn't feel as raw as it did then. It was as if her pregnancy had enhaced her need for Robb's touch, for his grave voice and the look of those shiny blue eyes. "Don't know."

"Will he come for the baby?" Rickon asked enthusiastically.

She chuckled. "Certainly expecting so. He wants to meet him."

"Are you sure it is a boy?"

"Yes."

Rickon fell silent for a few moments but soon moved closer to her side, little hands placed on the swollen belly. "Will he be strong like Robb? Robb's the best."

She thought so too. "He'll be like his father, yes. But he'll also have a bit of me, and you," she flicked his nose. "He'll be a Stark."

Smiling, Rickon nodded before yawning, opening his mouth wide. He was obviously still sleepy and she didn't exactly hate the company.

Rubbing his back soothingly, Dany observed him as he fell asleep curled up close to her. Watching his chest rise and fall rhythmically, and his long lashes fanning over his reddened cheeks, so peaceful, made her think of a world without wars, where _all_ children could sleep like this but in their mother's arms. It made her wish Robb could end the war fast so she wouldn't need to worry about the future nights she'd like to spend with her son in her arms.

"Father would like that," Rickon mumbled when she pressed a tender kiss to his forehead.

She couldn't help but to agree, even if she hadn't met Eddard Stark and his legendary honor.

-o-

She was sitting between Rickon and Bran when Ser Rodrik Cassel entered the hall and told them that Torrhen's Square was under siege by the ironborn. And Bran was obviously behaving lika a true lord and Stark when he ordered to defend the castle because it was the seat of one of their bannermen; they had to return the favor and protect them.

There was a stabbing pain on the side of her chest that told her that this was it, that her nightmares were about to become real and she had little to do. So she begged Maester Luwin to send a ravens to Robb and to the people in the North. The old man gave her a look but didn't question her much, in fact she was expecting him to refuse her orders, that there was no need.

She cannot explain why he believed her but he did.

It was her hand that wrote the note for Robb. _Come and fight for your lands and people first. You will only need a few hundred men because they aren't expecting you._

Would he believe her as easily as he had done before? She was no longer there to talk to him, to convince him to see the truth. And she was being honest with him. Her dreams were clear and each time, each night, she saw more things as if her pregnancy was the reason of her visions. Maybe her child, because the stronger he grew, the clearer the images and messages.

Some nights she didn't want to go to bed, afraid of what the dreams would tell her.

"How?" was all Theon uttered when she was making her way to her chambers.

Not much more was needed because they knew what he was talking about.

"I just knew."

"That's why you didn't let me go to speak to my father?" he spat resentfully, as if she was the real enemy and, in some manner, she knew he thought she was the one who represented more danger for him and his foster family.

"You would have betrayed Robb."

"I wouldn't have!" Theon spat with complete conviction but she could see beyond that.

"Blood is thicker than water and power is more intoxicating than wine," she replied calmly. "You would have stabbed my husband in the back if your father asked! And I understand because you've never felt like you've belonged anywhere, and you would have wanted to make your father proud."

"He is my brother!"

She smiled sadly because he knew very well what hid underneath his smug smirk and his mischief. "But he is not. That's what is wrong, is it not? As much as you tried, as hard as you wished for it, you are not a Stark, which is why you hate me." Since her arrival, she had not once felt welcome by him. He merely tolerated her presence for Robb's sake but in his eyes she would always be an intruder, a woman who had won the Stark's name too easily. "But they are loyal, even if you can't see it now; they will always be loyal as long as you earn it. If you had gone there and followed your father, Robb would've never forgiven you."

Squaring his shoulders and clenching his jaw, Theon stood there, looking at her but she didn't budge. She wasn't afraid of him or his words. Viserys's abuse over the years had taught her to see the weakness in such act. But there was still hope for Theon. She could see the yearning for family, love and all those things that children of war, orphans, prisoners, and runaways always dreamt about.

"You should rest," he muttered uncomfortably, as if the topic was already bothering him.

"Yes, I need my sleep," she responded haughtily, making clear for him that she did not take orders from him or anyone. She was Queen in the North and as such she wouldn't let people command her. "But first, tell me, when the time comes, will you fight for us or for you? Would you dare to see Robb in the eye and tell him you left his family in danger?"

"Don't manipulate me," he growled. His face was too close to hers for her liking. "You might do this with him but I'm not under your spell." He wanted to say more. She could see it. The insults he had bitten back were written all over his face but he had stopped himself just in time.

Lifting her hand as quickly as she could, she smacked him across the face. Her eyes were full of angry tears, ready to roll down her pale cheeks.

"Don't you dare to insinuate I want to use him!"

"You don't?" He scoffed. "Everyone knows in the Seven Kingdoms that you only want the Iron Throne. Your heir is only to ensure that place."

"My son is a Stark! My son is Robb's and so am I! Why would I want him by my side if he's the one who will become king?" Standing closer, her hands balled in fists at her sides. She was trembling with fury. "If I wanted to rule, I wouldn't give birth to a child. I would have gotten rid of everyone." She swiveled around, calling Irri, who was standing wide-eyed at a couple of feet away.

Before entering the bedchambers, she looked over her shoulder.

"Be grateful I am not the one you think I am, or you would've lost that sharp tongue of yours."

-o-

Daylight was just rising after dark when she felt someone trying to wake her up.

"Your Grace," a soft voice spoke. "Please. Dany."

She blinked, trying to open her eyes and adjust them to the poor light in the room. The first thing she noticed was the noise in the castle, around them and everywhere, and then Jhiqui and Irri at the foot of the bed.

"Dany?"

At her side was Dacey, dressed and with her mace hanging from the belt.

Daenerys's eyes opened wide with understanding. They had arrived. The men from the Iron Islands were about to destroy Winterfell as vengeance for what Eddard Stark had done years ago with ther rebellion, taking advantage of the war being fought in the South.

As fast as she could, considering her state, she got out of bed. Her handmaidens helped her to dress herself and, for the first time, Daenerys realized how big she was and how much slower her size made her.

"I need to go. They are at least four against one and there aren't many soldiers left on our side." Dacey sighed heavily before she decided to leave the room. "Please, stay here. We'll keep you safe. Go with Bran and Rickon."

Why was it that war found her when she could not fight? First as a baby and now she was expecting a child.

She wanted to refuse but she knew she wouldn't be of help. Irri, Jhiqui and Doreah led her to the boys who were with Maester Luwin. The older man only told her he wished the ravens had arrived on time because they needed all the men they could have to fight.

The ironmen weren't known for their kindness but she couldn't be afraid. She was Robb's queen and as such, she had to be calm for her people and family. But in an unexpected move, she ran to the dungeons with Irri in tow.

Dacey found her as she hurried herself in search of a sword.

"Dany!"

"Please, a sword," she panted with her violet eyes wide and pleading. "_Please._"

"Why? You won't fight. I won't allow it."

"Not for me," she said and her gaze traveled in the direction of the dungeons. This was her last plan because she wouldn't let her people die. Bran and Rickon were under her protection as was Robb's heart; she wouldn't let him lose another member of his family.

"Your Grace, you cannot. You cannot trust _him_."

"Do you think I would do it if it wasn't necessary? He's a knight. We need him."

Dacey disapproved of this decision like anyone would have done. "The Kingslayer will kill you."

"He won't. He owes me a life and a kingdom." She extended her hand but Dacey gave the sword to Irri. "Thank you." At least she didn't need to demand it as a queen, because she was ready for it if that was what it took.

"Don't make me regret it," Dacey murmured and hurried to the walls of the castle were smoke was traveling up in the sky, dark like an omen.

Inside his prison, Jaime Lannister held onto the bars, nervous and helpless, just like a soldier without a weapon, wishing to face the enemy.

Daenerys stood in front of him. "I'll give you a sword and you'll fight for us."

He said nothing, as if his wit had vanished thanks to her surprising decision.

"What makes you think I will be loyal to you?"

"You owe it to my mother," she said as Irri opened the cell. "And if you turn against us, the Young Wolf will kill you and your kin." She handed the sword. "This will buy you hope."

"No. I won't-"

"A Lannister always pays his debts," she announced.

He snatched the weapon from her hands and grumbled under his breath. And as he did, she felt a sharp pain in her belly.

"_Khaleesi_!" Irri screamed, holding her as she doubled up in pain.

"My boy," she croaked. "He's coming."

"A true warrior," Jaime quipped, suddenly confident thanks to the blade in his hands. "Take her to the maester. I'll keep you safe."

As they walked back to the Great Keep, they heard the screams outside the walls and the ironmen trying to get in. But right then, Dany's screams were louder, like the howling of a wolf calling its pack. She gritted her teeth and knew that as the sun rose, tinting the sky in a reddish hue, her son was going to be born in battle and that would shape him into the man he would become.


	18. Battleborn Wolf

**I've received a few questions about the name I chose for Robb and Dany's baby. Iagan is from Celtic (also Scottish) origin. Some of the meanings of the name include little fire, fiery, brightness, and splendor. Also, I liked the _sound_ of it, because I believe it could go well with the Targaryen list of names and Starks do remind me of Scottish people (not only because Richard Madden is actually Scottish).  
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**As always, thank you for your lovely reviews. I particularly enjoy your opinions since this is taking such a different route from the original storyline.**

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**_Chapter 18 : Battleborn Wolf_**

The columns of smoke reached the sky as arms begging for help. The cloudy day was frowning at those who were trying to destroy Winterfell and the wind carried the cries through the air. It wasn't the scene Robb Stark was hoping for when he decided to listen to his wife's letters; he wished for her to be wrong but she had never been so far, which scared him more than it should have had.

Two hundred men followed him, most of them people from his kingdom who were as furious as him at the sight of the ironborn destroying their homes.

Jorah, at his side, just looked at him before he ordered to dive into battle. Grey Wind ran with ferocity as the small army decided to destroy those men who dared to put foot in their lands to pillage their homes.

He didn't know which one was the real reason behind the cruelty in which his men punished the invaders. It could have been because they were defending their homes, their families, or also because they were losing the feeling of sympathy after so many battles.

A man cried in agony as Grey Wind sunk his teeth in his throat, but he choked on his own blood as the direwolf tore it apart. At his side, Robb wielded his sword, stabbing another enemy and cutting his stomach open. The only thought in his head was making his way to his family, wife and brothers.

His eyes hurt with the smoke and blood splattered all over his face as he kept advancing towards the gates.

It was true. They weren't expecting an army to fight them. Balon Greyjoy had clearly sent his men hoping to have no resistance as they were still fighting in the South but he had not imagined that Daenerys would be there, ready to fight back and call him before anyone could even know about the plan of the Iron King.

He had no explanations as to how she had _seen_ the future in her dreams but he was glad she had given him a chance of saving his kingdom and people.

The poor fighting techniques of the ironborn showed. They lacked the training and skills most of his men had; they were already growing used to the weapons in their hands thanks to the many battles they had already faced. Besides, as they spilled more blood, their thirst and hunger only grew more and more.

"King in the North!" the people shouted as they saw him riding his horse, opening his way through the field and into the castle without looking back, without sparing a life. He could taste the metallic flavor of blood in his tongue and smell the fire burning houses and flesh mixed with the humidity in the air.

As some tried to escape from the rage of the Young Wolf, Robb's eyes fell upon the woman swinging a mace and cracking a skull open. Dacey was leading the forces keeping the enemies out of the inner castle, which made him quite happy, since he had chosen the right woman for the job of defending his home. What surprised the King was the sight of no other than Jaime Lannister fighting with her, back to back as they ended life after life of those who dared to go near. But there was no time to dwell on that then, he still had to end the fight and show Balon Greyjoy that he was not going to give up, that he would fight him if he had to.

And as soon as the war was over, he would go to the Iron Islands, and just like his father did before him, he would defeat the ironborn and show them that this king had no mercy for those who didn't obey.

-o-

When Jaime Lannister smirked at him, wiping a drop of blood off the corner of his mouth, Robb wanted nothing more than to drive his fist through the man's face. It unnerved him that the Lion could stand there, looking as if his spirit hadn't been broken.

Clenching his jaw, Robb dismounted his horse.

"You should probably hurry, Your Grace," Jaime offered as he cleaned his sword, a piece of metal that had clearly seen better times but that had reached the glory again in the hand of the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard. "She's giving birth to the pup as we speak."

Dacey elbowed the man hard between the ribs, glaring at him. She didn't care if he shitted gold or not, she just kept him in line. "Show some respect. You seem more like a snake than a lion, Kingslayer."

Jaime said something back, taunting her and making suggestive comments, taking advantage of Dacey's gender. She was a very beautiful lady, especially for someone who was such an avid fighter. But Robb didn't pay attention to their bickering, since he had to run through the halls and climb down the stairs as fast as he could with Grey Wind on tow.

He came face to face with Summer and Shaggydog, both guarding the entrance of the crypts. He had to assume they all had hidden in there since it would be the last place where people would look for them. Some were more scared of the dead than the living.

When he approached, he could hear the grunting of someone. A flicker of light led the way, a torch illuminating a corner next to the figure of Harlon Stark, the King in the North who stopped the Boltons from rising up against them many years before.

"Robb!" Rickon was the first to jump on his feet and run to him, clinging to his legs tightly, while Robb lifted his head to see Maester Luwin knelt in front of Daenerys who was sweating profusely as her handmaidens sat next to her on the ground.

"Wolf, you came," Daenerys murmured as she panted weakly, all her strength focused on the task at hand. She was giving birth to their child.

"Your Grace, please take the children with you if it's safe," Maester Luwin asked politely as he sent one of Dany's maidens to look for water and towels now that it was safe to abandon their hiding spot.

Robb, instead of taking his brothers to their chambers, felt onto his knees next to Dany. "Osha can take them. Hodor," he called at the gentle giant who smiled at him with recognition.

"Hodor!"

"Take Bran to his room." Robb looked at his brother, the one who had been in charge of Winterfell since his departure. They shared a look that spoke louder than words. The affection between them may have not been shown in words or hugs but it was immense nonetheless. And Robb knew Bran was not a little lad anymore, and would not appreciate being treated as such. "We'll talk later."

And as they were left alone, Dany screamed freely as she pushed. Robb had never seen a woman giving birth, and he shouldn't have if he had followed traditions but in that dark place, between the old dead Kings in the North, was the perfect place for their child to be welcome.

Dany's legs were held by Irri and Jhiqui while Doreah kept drying the sweat off her forehead.

"Again, my lady," Maester Luwin commanded and Daenerys whimpered before taking a deep breath, preparing herself for that final moment.

The strong, piercing war cry of the babe echoed through the crypts as if he were scaring the enemies away. It was a boy like Dany promised, he was covered in blood just like his father but for very different reasons; he had come to this world while his father had ended the lives of people who threatened them, sending their souls to hell.

Maester Luwin was about to place Iagan on Daenerys chest but she refused. "Give him to his father who fought for him, who came to us when we needed him just like he promised. My Wolf deserves to hold him."

And so he did. The small and fragile creature, the Battleborn, the Ice Dragon as he would be known, was safely placed in Robb's arms.

Iagan was just as Daenerys had described. The scarce hair on his head was white as the snow and his skin pale. He barely opened his eyes and in the dark he saw the shine of a steely blue.

Robb could already imagine him growing to be a strong warrior and a magnificent king, loved by his people and feared by his enemies. He would make him proud. He would teach him everything he knew, all those things his own father had taught him.

"_Khal_?" Irri spoke softly and for a moment, Robb didn't relate the word to him until she called it again. "I should clean him for our _khaleesi._ She needs to feed him."

Robb turned to Dany, who looked tired but happy. She chuckled at his wide eyes.

"You have finally earned their respect." She sighed, curling on her side and wincing in pain as her bloodied dress tangled around her calves.

"She needs to rest," Maester Luwin told him, as he wiped his hands on a rag. "It was a very difficult birth considering the stress and… the danger. She was very brave."

"She's the dragon," Robb commented, smiling softly before crouching down to pick her up in his arms. Her arms looped around his neck and her head fell against his shoulder. "She's stronger than anyone."

He made the way out of the crypts and into the castle with her on his arms. People stared at them in silence as he took each step with his head high, hoping that his enemies could hear about this, about his son born amidst battle and his fury against those who threatened his wife.

Taking the first steps into the castle, the people outside cried in victory, the roar traveling down his spine, making him stronger.

It didn't take long for the crowd to call for the newest Stark, clamoring for the _Ice Dragon_ until he lifted the boy in his arms, letting them see the healthy heir of the North, the rightful King of the Seven Kingdoms.

And the North grew stronger than before, because even when everything was against them, they survived. Even if winter was coming, they prevailed.

-o-

She breastfed Iagan because she refused to give him to some wet-nurse. "He will not be fed with another woman's milk. To grow strong, he needs to be fed by the dragon," Dany claimed and Robb allowed it because this was her son too and she would raise him while he was away.

He was amazed by the child and how Grey Wind's gaze softened at the sight. The direwolf kept an eye on him, always close as if he were his guardian, as if he were his brother. The dragons did pretty much the same, as if they knew this brother would be the strongest of them all.

Rickon was a different story. In his innocence, he believed the baby was weak and small. He was upset because he wouldn't be able to play with him, that it would take too long for him to just walk around.

It pained Robb to see the hurt in Bran's eyes despite his smile as Iagan clung to his furs. This was a boy with a whole future ahead of him, who moved his legs and could become a warrior like Bran had always wanted. But Robb knew that Bran would always love his nephew; his brother had always been quiet but observant. Bran would probably become his son's best ally.

"Do you love him?" Daenerys asked from the bed as she looked at their child.

"More than words can describe." He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "And I love you for giving him to me, for protecting my family and our kingdom."

"Robb," she whispered as his hand caressed Iagan's head.

"You must have had a good reason to release the Kingslayer, and I hope that defending us will be enough for the banners to forgive some of his sins," Robb murmured, his blue eyes locked with her violet ones.

"He owes me. I'm making him pay his debts."

"Do you believe he will honor his word?"

Dany smiled mischievously. "If not, Dacey will deal with him."

Robb snorted a laugh. It was certainly amusing to see the Kingslayer dealing with a strong woman like Dacey, who had no qualms about saying what she thought about him.

"How long are you staying?" Dany asked coyly, brushing a finger against the baby's cheek as he latched on to her breast, curling comfortably against her warmth.

"Not long enough." Robb sighed. "But I'm glad I met him as soon as he came to this world. To share this moment with you."

Moments later, the two of them laid in bed with the small child between them, wishing that it wouldn't take long for them to enjoy times like that, together in their own world while the one outside bowed to them.


	19. A Bear and A Kraken

**Firstly, I'd like to apologize about typos, misspellings and grammar mistakes you've found in the story. I've received a few comments about it (they don't offend me, since they have been quite respectful and not 'flames' or anything like that) But as much as I have tried to keep them to a minimum, I haven't been able to make them disappear and no one but me proofreads the chapters.  
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**Secondly, thank you! I never imagined this story would be so well-liked. And for those who asked for another interlude, next chapter we'll see a bit of what's happening in KL.  
**

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**_Chapter 19 : A Bear and A Kraken_**

The joy of finally having her son in her arms, of meeting him face to face, and see him happily wiggling his arms and legs was so overwhelming, Daenerys had difficulty with only averting her eyes from him. There were many fears in her heart after the loss of her first child, and even if Robb calmed her, she couldn't stop her mind from wondering about what would happen when he returned to the South.

"What are we going to do?" Robb asked as he went over the books Bran had kept up to date while he was away, fulfilling his role as lord. Still, Robb had to make sure to correct mistakes and provide advice now that he was the head of their house.

"About?" Dany asked as she smiled at Iagan when he pulled a face. Babes were the most fascinating creatures and they couldn't even speak, they just slept most of the day and cried when upset.

Sighing loudly enough to call her attention, Robb pressed his lips in a tight line. "You locked Theon in a cell and released the Kingslayer." He rubbed his chin, the sound of the coarse hairs of his beard against his hand bothering her. "There are many things we need to discuss."

"Bran is the Lord of Winterfell. _He _ordered for Theon to be put into that cell." Daenerys huffed, rocking the baby gently in her arms, beckoning sleep for him.

"Under your advice," he hissed but soon his expression softened. "I'm not accusing you of anything. You must have had your reasons for that."

"Ironborn don't spill the blood of ironborn," she muttered. "He wouldn't have been of help and… I feared he would turn against us." Her bright eyes met his for a while, and it felt as if they were having a wordless conversation. "As hard as he tries, he is not a Stark."

"Dany," Robb called, closing the book, moving closer and crouching before her.

"_You_ are my family. And I love Rickon and Bran – I want to meet your sisters and say the same about them." She snorted a watery laugh as she blinked away her tears. "I wish your mother liked me better but I admire her and her strength. You're my _only_ family."

He smiled. It was soft and it made him look younger; he was not the bloodthirsty warlord when he smiled at her like that. Cupping her face in one hand, he said, "I love you. But is this worth more for you than the Iron Throne? Is it worth a war? I just want my sisters back but… now it's not just about them. When I got into this, I _was_ a boy and I didn't know what it meant. And now I'm winning battle after battle but I don't get any closer to my goal."

"Soon," Dany whispered. "Just wait and I know you'll win. Everything. You'll avenge your father's death and your sisters' abduction."

"And the throne?"

"You can do with it as you wish because you will be the most powerful man in the Seven Kingdoms. Legends will be told from fathers to sons, from mothers to daughters about the King in the North who conquered Westeros as if he had lived in the Age of Heroes. You _will_ be a hero, and your son will look up to you and be proud, just like I am when I look at you."

Robb stared at his son in his wife's arms. The peaceful look in his small face was the one he wished to keep. He was the future for his house and that meant everything for the King in the North. He was just adding reasons to fight harder, to prove everyone he was stronger than they thought. He was not just a rebel; he was _not_ the son of a traitor.

"Don't you want it for yourself?"

"I have more than a crown now," she replied firmly. "But when you get it, when you reach the Iron Throne, if you wish, we will rule together."

"So you _do_ want to be queen," Robb smirked at her, playfully because he knew her and she enjoyed their talks as much as he did. She was glad to see proof that he still was the man with good humor and not just the King, the Wolf whose teeth and claws shone under the moontlight with fury.

"Neither of us would be a good ruler without the other."

"I know."

Yes, they knew that now, but did anyone else realize? They might have been too young and inexperienced, but together they were more than everyone else.

"And about the Kingslayer," she interjected as Robb's eyes followed Iagan every move. "Make him part of my personal guard."

"_What_?" he hissed, face crumpling into an expression of anger and disbelief. "Are you mad? He killed your father. He must hold a grudge against you and your family and, you want him near?"

She sighed, reaching for his beard covered cheek and smoothing it with her fingers. "It's the only way we can keep an eye on him. Keeping him in a cell will only fuel his hatred toward us. He'll try to escape and that will make him more dangerous to us."

"If he hurts you," he growled, letting the threat hang in the air.

"He won't."

"How do you know that?" He stood straight, tall and handsome. She wished there was an artist who could see his gorgeous image with this imposing figure. He _would_ rule Westeros, Dany knew it. "You haven't been wrong so far but… how can I be sure when there's no proof? You're asking for too much."

She nodded. "Do you know who I thought should love me more than anyone when I was a child?"

He looked at her, just stared because he was a smart man and knew when to keep his mouth shut. He just happened to forget when to keep his heart and mind away from one another; he tended to mix them and take decisions too quickly. Robb was hot-blooded. The wolf blood, even if it was under the rigid control of his manners.

"Viserys wasn't the nicest man, not even to me. But I loved him… and I hated him at the same time." His gaze softened on her. His blue eyes sparkled with kindness. "But he taught me many things. He made me stronger."

"Dany."

"He won't kill me or betray me."

"You can't be sure about that."

An eerie smile took place in her features. "Think about Tywin Lannister finding out his beloved son is under the service of his enemy. And think about offering the Kingslayer a deal: he keeps me safe and you keep his kin safe… or at least give them a chance to surrender."

"Destroy them from within," Robb murmured.

"Yes. We'll take them apart and weaken them. It'll make things easier for us."

He seemed to consider it but soon shook his head. "No. It's too dangerous."

"Dacey will be with me and you know her. She won't doubt to cut his throat open if he even dares to come near me to hurt me." She took a deep breath, her chest filling with the warm air in her chambers. "Trust me."

"I do. You know that. As hard as it was to do so in the beginning, you've earned my trust."

"So?"

He scoffed. "If he even looks at you in a way you don't approve, a way _I _don't approve, Dacey is allowed to punish him as she deems necessary."

Dany giggled. "She'll love to hear that."

Robb smiled but soon his expression turned sour. "And talking about guards and confidants, there's someone who you need to meet."

-o-

When she saw Jorah for the first time in about a year, Daenerys didn't know what to do.

The man looked older but with the same qualities of strength and kindness she had seen in him despite his not so handsome features. Somehow she noticed how he just fit in the North, that she could see how he had been raised in these lands.

She smiled and approached him.

"It took you a long time to come and find me."

Looking at his feet, as if he were ashamed or hiding something, he said, "I apologize, _Khaleesi."_

"I'm not a khaleesi anymore," she babbled as she toyed with her dress, so different from the ones she wore in Essos; they were made of heavier fabrics and covered much more of her body, but she felt more exposed than she had done at the time.

"Queen in the North?"

She met his gaze and smiled as she nodded. "I have a family and a son, as I should have had."

His eyes darkened with spite and she sensed it, she was almost afraid of his reaction because he had never hidden his dislike for Eddard Stark and it seemed he wasn't about to start now. "They were using you. I thought you were going to get the throne through them."

"Things change."

"Do they? Do a babe and a pretty boy change the past, what Ned Stark and the Usurper did?" His words were full of venom, as if he were waiting for her to open her eyes and see _his_ truth. He forgot she was different from her brother. Being a queen wasn't what she had always wanted; it had filled the emptiness she had felt and now, it was being filled slowly with Iagan, Robb and the North.

She pressed her lips in a tight line and felt the fire burning inside her. She felt furious at him for looking down at her new life. "Watch your words. It's my husband and family you're talking about."

"But you are so much more, _Khaleesi_." Jorah begged and it forced her to remember what her life was when she wandered around Essos. "You _must_ be the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms and sit in the Iron Throne like your father did before you."

"I'm not my father! Or my mother," she whispered. "I appreciate your friendship and guidance but you have no right to question my decisions," she hissed.

At that moment, his demeanor changed as if he had covered all his emotions with a mask. "Your Grace," he conceded as if she were a young child throwing a tantrum. He was being patronizing. "You know I always want the best for you. It's not different now. I offer you my services as before."

"No."

Daenerys' eyes widened as Robb's shape appeared suddenly in the room. He had been so stealthy, she had not heard him coming. And his words were firm; an order, not a suggestion.

"You will come with me, South, where you will serve your queen by keeping me safe," Robb spoke to Jorah but his eyes were trained on Dany. She knew there were many reasons behind his decision but he hadn't made them clear to her.

"We could use him here, now that you will leave again-"

"Dany," Robb called curtly as Jorah set his jaw, biting back a comment.

She felt as if the air in the room had grown thick with tension, as if she could suffocate with it.

"You will keep him safe, won't you?" Dany asked Jorah with a smile as she reached for his hand, the skin leathery thanks to the years, the work and the blazing sun across the Narrow Sea. "For me. For my son."

Jorah's eyes turned soft on her. Since the moment she had met him, she felt safe when he was near, but now she couldn't help the aversion she felt towards his actions; and by the way Robb's shoulders were squared, and the tension on his body, she knew he wasn't fond of the idea of having Jorah around them. So why had he kept him alive? Jorah had told her about his death sentence but Robb hadn't executed him. At least not yet.

"I will, Your Grace. I won't disappoint you."

"Now that it's settled, leave us," Robb said in a voice colder than usual, like iron cutting through flesh. "I need to talk to my _wife_," he stressed, his blue eyes shining with something akin to defiance and smugness.

Dany waited until Jorah had left and then some more, so he couldn't listen to her voice when she demanded answers from Robb. "Tell me, why are you behaving like this around him?" Robb shook his head dismissively. "_Robb_!" she demanded and the fury in his eyes was quite close to make her recoil.

He curled his fingers around her wrist and pulled her to him violently, almost hurting her. It was the first time she was afraid of him but it all vanished when he pressed his forehead against hers and his other hand caressed the side of her face.

"You can't see it, can you?" he hissed through his teeth, frustration and pain dripping from his words. "He loves you and you cannot see it." His hold tightened but he placed a kiss on the space between her eyebrows, softly like the flap of a butterfly's wing against her skin.

The jealousy he felt, the anger against the fear of losing her, was almost endearing.

"I only see you." Dany wound her arms around his middle and placed the side of her face against his shoulder, waiting for that warm embrace he soon provided. "My King."

"My Queen," he murmured before his fingers tangled in her hair, pulling her head back to kiss her lips sweetly at the beginning but growing more and more insistent until he couldn't resist the lack of air.

She wondered if they would be like this forever, if when he became a powerful man, he still would want her and _only_ her. Jealousy also coursed through her veins as the thought of him bedding other women came to mind. She knew temptation would always be lying in waiting but she didn't know what she would do if, or when, he fell in another woman's bed. Even Ned Stark had yield to desire and he had been the Quiet Wolf.

-o-

Theon was released not long after Robb had finished a quick overview of the things around Winterfell and the North. Robb had agreed to let some of his men stationed there to protect the lands in case Balon Greyjoy decided he hadn't done enough with his last attack.

Dany made clear that she believed they would probably wait a long time before they tried again, and Maester Luwin agreed. The ironborn would wait to gather strength and also come up with a better strategy. Also, they could make their way to Lannisport or Casterly Rock to plunder the lands since Tywin had left his seat, which meant Robb could meet them again but in other places.

"And if not, after the war ends I'll go to _his _islands," Robb warned as he took a bite of his meat, eyeing Theon who only clenched his jaw. "Would you fight against them then?"

Dany could feel the tension in the air and was immensely happy that Rickon was such a wild and innocent child, because he only grinned at her from his seat, his mouth full of food. She stifled a giggle as Theon and Robb stared at each other.

"One day you'll have to choose a side and stick to it." Robb lifted his goblet with wine and drank from it, almost behaving like a petulant man. But Dany knew that his harsh words were caused by the hurt of betrayal.

"I didn't fight with them. I wasn't against you."

Robb slammed his cup against the table and the room was filled with silence.

"Doing nothing is being against me!" Robb snarled. "You were going to let my family at the hands of our enemies."

"You of all people should understand. They are _my people._"

"Your people?" Robb leaned back in his chair, chest puffing with something akin to a subdued fury, a flicker of light just about to start a fire. "Your father gave you away. He never tried to get you back."

Theon almost trembled with the anger inside him but kept his mouth closed unlike many other times. And that's how Daenerys realized he truly cared about Robb, but she couldn't stop her husband before he said something he could regret without disrespecting him in front of everyone.

"You said you were my brother and then, when my wife and son need you, when my brothers need you, you do nothing."

"Ironborn don't spill the blood of ironborn," Theon murmured, swallowing hard. His eyes met Dany's and she felt sorry for him because she too had been an outcast once.

"My brother is not an ironborn," Robb spat. "You claimed to be my brother."

"But I'm not and your wife is right."

"So you are taking back your promise? You're no longer loyal to me like you swore you'd be until your death?"

"You don't want me to serve you…"

"You _are_ my brother! My friend and if I cannot trust in you then, who can I trust?!" Robb roared. "It's a wound that will need a long time to heal. But let it rot if you're not willing to keep your word." He took a calming breath and leaned on his elbows over the table. "You'll come with me when I leave."

"But you sent me to keep an eye on your wife." Theon looked at her and she felt pain and guilt when Robb confessed his next steps.

"No. The Kingslayer will take that place. One oath breaker for another."


	20. Interlude II

**Please remember this follows the storyline of the show ****mostly ****(mixed with the book in some details and others that have been added as the story progresses).  
**

**As always thank you for your reviews and for reading, since I know that long stories tend to be a little hard to follow. Happy you're enjoying this so far.**

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**_Chapter 20 : Interlude II_**

Pacing the room as he drank a cup of wine seemed like the right thing to do considering the circumstances in which he had found himself. It wasn't supposed for things to go like this. Yes, he had never underestimated Ned Stark's pup but, in reality, he had hoped the boy at least showed weakness and not the heartless facet he had until then. He hadn't made one mistake so far, except maybe taking Jaime as his prisoner.

Glaring once more at the message his father had sent, he sighed. How was he supposed to react to it now that things were upside down?

Renly Baretheon had just died and now the forces from the Reach would probably join the northerners since already half of them were fighting with them. The only option his father saw was to promise Joffrey to marry Margaery, since at least the Young Wolf couldn't really offer her more – he was already married to the Targaryen girl and she was popping out pups for them, little hybrids, half wolf and half dragon.

Unfortunately for Tyrion, it wasn't just that his father wanted when he wrote the message. He wanted to remind the boy _king_ who had the upperhand, and that it didn't matter how many battles he was winning, this was a war he wasn't going to come up as victor.

It was supposed to be a message, to show him that it didn't matter if Jaime was fighting for him, if he had been taking prisoner – no one really blamed the Young Lion for making whatever he had to in order to keep his head over his shoulders.

Still, the measures Tywin wanted to take seemed too much. Or maybe it was just that Tyrion's heart was soft when it came to things broken and abused such as Sansa Stark.

"A finger!" Tyrion shouted at no one but Bronn shrugged a shoulder as he toyed with a dagger. "He wants me to cut her finger to send it to the boy."

"It might do some good," Bronn provided with that air of carelessness he always had, as if a life was just a commodity – which probably was for him, since he got paid to end them.

"_Good_?!" Tyrion exclaimed, slamming his cup against the table. "Do you believe Robb Stark will be more merciful if he finds out that we have not only killed his father but also are mutilating his sister? What if he already knows we have lost Arya?"

"If he's as good as people say, he is not keeping your pretty brother without a plan."

"Destroy my father, of course. It's no secret Jaime is my father's favorite," he scoffed. "More now that my dear sister has taken all the wrong decisions regarding this situation."

"Then I say follow your Lord father's instructions," Bronn said, not without a good portion of sarcasm.

"I won't cut that girl's finger!"

"He would do it."

It was hard to know in certainty if Bronn was referring to Tywin or Robb, but Tyrion knew quite well the two of them wouldn't doubt on maiming an enemy in order to save their family. The thing was Tyrion didn't see a threat in Jaime's captivity. If his brother had fought along the northerners, he must've had more reasons than just the possibility of losing his life.

"And my nephew would be eternally pleased to satisfy my Lord Father's orders, which serves as proof of how _wrong_ this is."

"So what are you going to do?"

Tyrion pursed his lips, quickly planning on how to fulfill his father's wishes but also doing things his way. He knew the Young Wolf better than his father did and knew for fact that he wouldn't be stopped by sentimentalisms now, his skin had gotten thicker and he was no longer fighting for just his family. Besides now he had the advices of the Mother of Dragons in his ear, and she probably wanted more blood spilled.

"Look for a girl," he spoke. "Give her a few coins."

"So a noble girls can't lose a finger but any other is fine."

Tyrion gave him a look.

"I'm not judging." He sheathed his dagger and righted himself after leaning against a pillar. "I'll be back for dinner with your precious finger."

"Make sure is… delicate enough to pass for her finger."

"Oh, I'll make sure," Bronn replied, smirking in a very unsettling way, but wasn't that way how it was supposed to be?

Tyrion thought of himself no more than what people saw, at least on the outside. He knew he was not like his brother, handsome and skilled swordsman. And yet he thought he appreciated beauty better than anyone from his point of view. Sansa Stark was a very beautiful girl, not long ago full of dreams and innocence. She had been mistreated but always kept her head high, never complained, always acting like a lady should.

Taking more from her seemed unnecessary and completely cruel. If he couldn't quite protect her, he would at least do whatever he could.

He might have been an imp, but that didn't make him a monster.

-o-

It was a very lonely life to be a prisoner yet not acknowledged as one. She trusted no one and still tried to behave like the lady she was raised to be but it was a very lonely and sad life the one she had in King's Landing.

She missed her lady mother so much, especially now that her father had been executed – especially now that she felt so guilty over many things. And Robb, he was also having a hard time taking his role as lord and now King in the North, but with his new family and war, would he remember her as she remembered him? Would he save her? She really hoped so.

Bran and Rickon must have been so big unlike when she left Winterfell. She wanted to see them become men, to know how Bran was doing now, after the accident. She wanted to meet her nephew and see if Robb's wife was as pretty as the maids around the castle gossiped – and if she was as heartless, but she doubted Robb would wed a despicable woman.

But only at the thought of Arya was at which Sansa let a few tears fall. She had been so mean to her younger sister, and now she had no idea where she was or if she was alive even. No one knew anything about her apparently.

And when the Queen forced her to write those messages for Robb, she couldn't let herself stand up against it. What would it be of her if she dared not to follow orders?

She was still shaking as her ladies in waiting tended her injuries, as she replayed in her mind the horrible scene she had been part of moments before, those men who tried to take her by force, the people screaming in the streets, the riot and the curses. It was madness and she still tried to make it seemed as if things didn't happen to her.

It was all a nightmare. It would go away. It had to.

They had just been walking through the city with Joffrey and the Queen. There were guards everywhere but the crowd was so angry at them, hungry and needy. And when they insulted Joffrey, he ordered to kill them as if that solved everything.

_Little Bird_ she was as ser Sandor Clegane said. And she was put in a cage as such.

"Are you feeling better, my lady?" Tyrion Lannister asked as she sat at the edge of her bed, the handmaids still flying around her in a hurry.

Like many times before, she felt the anger inside her but somehow it was put under control. She was not her but a shell of herself. What did he care about her well-being? She was only kept alive so his brother had a chance.

"I'm fine, my lord."

He gave her a look as he exhaled noisily though his nose. He noticed but he ignored it as everyone else. She would never be _fine_ anymore.

The Queen entered her room just a brief moment later, the hint of a cruel smile on her lips but her tone tried to mimic sympathy as she asked how she was.

"It's such a shame they have no respect for you. It's not your fault your father and brother are traitors. You've been so loyal to us."

Loyal? She had only ducked her head before them, bowed to them but her heart and spirit would never belong to them.

"A shame, Your Grace," she repeated. "I'm honored to be kept as your guest even under such unfortunate events. I'm nothing but thankful."

Cersei smiled even as her nose crinkled in disdain. She soon left her alone but Tyrion reached for her hand and smiled, it seemed quite honest as he uttered the words, "I'm glad you are safe now."

But was she safe? Was he glad?

"Thank you."

She would be even more thankful if she were free. A free little bird.

-o-

The cupbearer girl was certainly a mystery. She was not like children of her class should be. She was too smart as it was but knowing how to read put her in another level. It was hard to decide if she would become a threat or an ally, given that she was a northerner.

He was not oblivious enough to believe every lie that fell from her mouth but she couldn't lie all the time. And if she was smart, she could prove knowledge of the lands and the people, of how they would react and the rumors among those bastards.

The only thing he had in mind though was to drive the damned wolf out of his lands now. There was no time to lose interrogating a girl with little use so far.

He might have not had the loyalties and promises Robb Stark had but he had the money to buy it. Everyone knew that even the most honest man had a price and being a Lannister, that price could be negotiable.

When the door opened to reveal Amory Lorch and the man subsequently fell to the ground dead, Tywin knew the dart in the fat man's neck must have been for him. And if that was the case, then someone betrayed him.

"A man tried to kill me. I want his name and I want his head," he ordered.

"We think it was an infiltrator of the Brotherhood Without Banners," the Mountain replied in his dull and deep voice.

"I want them dead. Everyone."

"Killing them isn't the problem. Finding them is."

"You're going soft, Clegane?" It was difficult to deal with a man whose anger gave room to outbursts of madness and bloodshed but Tywin wasn't afraid of him, or anyone. He could manage it if he used the right tone and words.

Gregor Clegane left the room with his orders and Tywin got ready to eat. But as the cupbearer placed the food on the table, he was suspicious. If men had tried to kill him before, then who said they weren't now?

"Eat," he order after some exchange of meaningless conversation.

"I'll eat in the kitchen. Later."

"It's bad manners to refuse a lord's offer. Sit." The girl followed his command, finally not making up excuses. "Eat."

She was small for her age, skinny like most beggars one could see in places like King's Landing. It was easy for her to pass for a younger boy with her looks, but as soon as she opened her mouth, she revealed she was not like most beggars. Actually, he had never met a poor kid with the wits she had.

"This will be my last war. Win or lose," he said as he looked through the window.

"Have you ever lost before?"

Before? Was she implying he was going to lose now? The nerve.

"You think I'd be in my position if I'd have lost a war?" She meekly shook her head when his cold eyes fell upon her. "This is the one I'll be remembered for." He paused, thinking about how true it was. "The War of Five Kings, they are calling it. My legacy will be determined in the coming months. You know what legacy means?" Again she shook her head. "It's what you pass down to your children and your children's children. It's what remains of you when you're gone."

Harrenhal, where they were, had once been the most magnificent and strongest castle ever built. It was impregnable but now it was in ruins. Why?

"Dragons," the girl replied to Tywin's surprise.

"Yes. Dragons," which only served to remind him about the rumors of the Young Wolf's bitch. The Mother of Dragons, people called her. "Who would have thought wolves mixed with dragons now?"

The girl's eyes rose from her empty plate to meet his. "Daenerys Targaryen has given Robb Stark an heir," she mumbled carefully. "They say he is the Ice Dragon."

"Heir of what?" Tywin scoffed. "By the end of war he'd have nothing. Not even the pleasure to say he killed my son. He wouldn't dare if he knows what is best for him and his… _kingdom_." His eyes narrowed as he sipped from his cup of wine. He believed the girl was smarter than believing in fishwives' tales. "Do you believe they have dragons, too?"

She shook her head but pursing her lips, as if she wanted to believe it but refused to let him know she held onto hope. "No."

Lies.

"Do you believe Robb Stark will be a dragonrider like Aegon the Conqueror and people will still be speaking about him in three hundred years?"

"No. He's not blood of the dragon. She is. She could be like Visenya Targaryen, who rode Vhagar to battle."

"You think she'll save the North?" He asked, this time his voice was void of all humor.

"No. Dragons are extinct, my lord." She ducked her head as if she regretted her thoughts.

"That's right. And the last Targaryen will die like she should have all those years ago."

Tywin wondered if that would make the girl finally reveal her true persona, but she just kept quiet. The girl indeed needed to be watched.


	21. Future Decisions

**Again, thank you for all the feedback (including ****to those who have ****reviewed, alerted and favorited this story). I've said this before but I never imagined this story being liked so much.  
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**Have a nice week.**

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**_Chapter 21 : Future Decisions_**

Seeing her in bed, peacefully sleeping, hair fanned over the pillows and looking like a beautiful mirage, he knew this would be something he'd missed when he went back South. He would also miss the tiny boy he had cradled in his arms, but he would return to see him grow and become a man, to teach him how to use a bow, how to ride a horse, to hear his laughter.

It was hard to believe that only a year before he was being ordered around by his parents, that he still was a boy. Now he had a son of his own, one to protect and raise to be his heir.

In Dany's face bloomed a smile before she opened her eyes. Her eyes fell upon them, on her two men; her babe and her husband.

"I thought I had been dreaming," she murmured as he approached her to hand her Iagan. She promptly kissed the soft cheek of the baby, feeling him squirming in which could only be described as happiness when he recognized his mother. Robb knew boys always sought for their mothers, it happened to him even then.

He was glad that his mother was returning soon to Winterfell after receiving the news of the attack and the birth of her grandson. Catelyn had no longer need to stay in Renly's camp, since he had died and his army had disbanded. Most of those men from the Reach would follow Randyll Tarly and join Robb and his army.

About the lack of reply from the Tyrells, Robb didn't care much. His army was big enough as it was and he dreaded the moment in which he would need to deal with the power-hungry lords of Highgarden. It was known why Margaery had been married off to Renly – as it was known the younger of Robert's brothers had no interest in women. Now that he was dead, there were rumors about her wanting to find a new husband, one with rights to claim the throne.

Robb sat close to Dany on the bed, watching with strange fascination how his son drank greedily from his mother breast, his plump hand holding onto her to feel her warm and supple skin.

The look on Dany's face, the awe and the smile was perfect. She was as enamored with her son as Iagan was with her, and for that he felt like the Gods had blessed him even during the difficult times.

"You're thinking too hard," Dany commented softly, forcing Robb to meet her gaze.

"He's a very strong boy, healthy." Robb sighed noisily through his nose, as if he felt guilty for not saying what he was really thinking about. "I need to return south soon. Now that Renly has died, our army needs to be guided, needs me to lead them. No matter the good job my lord Uncle is making, you know it is not the same."

"I know," she replied ruefully. "I know you wouldn't have needed to come if it hadn't been for the attack-"

"Dany," he called, his hand reaching to cradle the side of her face, gently rubbing the pad of his thumb against the apple of her cheek. "I _should_ have come anyway. For my son and for you. Everyone should realize that we are no longer two strangers, that our union is the power that'll bring our enemies down."

She squared her shoulders, covering her naked breast and holding Iagan so his head rested against her shoulder. "You're the King in the North, that's enough to make them know who they should fear. I don't want love and family to be our weakness."

"But you've lost your hunger for power over me? Over our son?"

He saw the pain traveling across her face for a fleeting moment.

"Perhaps the anger that drove me is not strong enough. Perhaps I should see the birth of our son as my reason to fight."

"I don't want to be the reason for the fire in you to extinguish."

She chuckled softly, leaning forward to press a firm kiss to his lips. "I'm your Queen. Your _only_ queen. I know what is going to happen from now on, now that one of the Usurper's brothers died. He was married to Margaery Tyrell, and she wants to be queen. My brother died and he was… betrothed, you could say, to Arianne Martell who could've also been queen."

Furrowing his brow, he tried to make sense of what she was saying but he couldn't. He didn't see danger in what she was saying. Marriages that hadn't taken place or widows that no longer held power didn't look like a threat.

"Why does this worry you?"

"Men tend to forget that, even if most participants in the game of thrones are men, women are big part of it. Generally we are assets, means to consolidate a promise. Marriages are unions. Heirs make even stronger bonds." They looked at Iagan and a moment passed in which Robb felt something burning inside him, not in a pleasant way. Was she implying this had all been part of a ruse? Had she used him to have an army? Had she been pretending?

Standing quickly, putting distance between him and the bed, he looked at her with an icy stare that conveyed a new expression on her face. She was regretting her words.

"Are you telling me our son is just… a new piece in a game?"

"No! No." Daenerys held Iagan close to her chest, burying her nose in the spot where Iagan's neck met his tiny shoulder. "I love him. I love _you_. But I can't deny I once wanted to just use you to get the throne. Not now."

"It wasn't better than my Lord Father marrying you to me, no matter how honorable his reasons were." He swallowed hard, smiling once he caught a glimpse of the barely open but bright eyes of his son.

"Robb?" Dany called, slipping out of bed. The cold light of morning made her gown look almost transparent. He could see the shape of a body he knew quite well, a body he longed to be wrapped around for all the nights to come in their lives.

He welcomed her by wrapping her in a lose hug, with their babe between them, safe from all evil and harm.

"What I meant before was that everyone will want a piece of the king. Everyone. And the easiest way for they to break a strong man whose army is as powerful as yours is by the finding a way to your bed."

"Dany," he whispered, threading his hand in the long strands of platinum hair, combing it until he curled his hand around her neck.

"Do not promise me anything," she spoke with a cold and decisive voice. Her eyes flickered with the fire he had seen the first night she had tried to seduce him. And he knew. As much as she convinced herself that she no longer craved the power, it was part of her nature. Instinct pulled her. "Let me deal with that. For no other woman will be enough for you. Only me."

When he smiled, his teeth showed like the ones of a wolf.

-o-

Rickon was as lively as he should have for a boy his age. His eyes lit up when Robb asked him to share with him everything that had happened during his absence. The youngest of his siblings told him all about how Daenerys spent time with him and also helped Bran, he said that Jhiqui had told him stories about the dothraki people and that it was a nice change from Old Nan stories, even if those were still his favorites.

"And Bran is always teaching Viserion new things. We have fun with him," Rickon gushed as he led him to the Godswood where the three dragon brothers had finally reunited.

As Robb studied the dragons, he realized how much bigger Viserion had grown compared to Rhaegal and Drogon. Standing in his back legs, Viserion stood as tall as Robb was, but of course the dragon was a much more fearsome creature. Still Rickon rushed to the beast and tugged on his wings as if it had been a rag doll, without fear. In return, Viserion gently laid his nuzzle on top of Rickon's head.

"Does he fly?" Robb asked, knowing that Rhaegal did fly but not very high.

Bran who was being carried by Hodor replied promptly. "As high as I used to climb." Robb looked at him, seeing some of the sadness vanished from his eyes. "You said we couldn't leave the castle but nothing about Viserion. He watches Winterfell from above."

Robb could only imagine what smallfolk thought when they saw the dragon circling in the skies, but by the look on his brothers' faces, it seemed like nothing bad had occurred until Balon Greyjoy's attack.

"You wish to ride him?"

Bran looked hopeful at him. "Yes. If I cannot be a knight of the Kingsguard, then I'll be a dragonrider. Dany promised she'd let me ride Viserion." Extending a hand, Bran let Viserion place his head under the palm.

It was incredible the way the dragon responded to Bran. If Robb thought about Rhaegal, it seemed unlikely to have that much control over the beast, even if Rhaegal was very loyal to him.

Rickon grinned and Robb saw he missed one tooth. Sometimes he forgot how much younger than him they were. "I'm working with Drogon now. But he's not as nice as Viserion."

Robb almost cringed when his wild little brother smacked rather forcefully Drogon's nuzzle. The dragon just growled but ducked his head.

"Well, then you might teach me how to train Rhaegal."

The green dragon lifted his head at the sound of his name. He was comfortably curled up with Grey Wind, both exhausted after battle and their travel, even after days.

Rickon nodded vigorously but a moment later he was running around the castle with three direwolves in tow, as Bran taught his older brother how to give orders to the dragons and not anger them. Firm love was what it could've been called.

It didn't take long for Dany to join them, helping them with their pronunciation of High Valyrian, which was certainly easier for Bran who had been under her tutelage for months. Robb grew frustrated with each word, his head started to throb with each new term.

"How do you know all this?"

She smiled at him. "_Valyrio muño ēngos ñuhys issa,_" she told him, and his frown just deepened when she laughed. "Valyrian is my mother tongue."

-o-

After carefully giving his brothers the news of their mother return, Robb decided to speak to Dacey and the Kingslayer who would be in command of the guard keeping Winterfell safe.

"My mother won't be pleased with your presence," Robb told Jaime.

"So I've been told." Jaime wore a half-smile, daring, as if he didn't have a care in the world. "My brother and your Lady Mother aren't exactly… friendly towards each other. And we both know what has happened. It's a shame," he finished flippantly.

At that, Dacey used the pommel of her sword to hit him in the hip, provoking a glare from the man.

It amused Robb to notice Dacey was the only person who got under the Kingslayer's skin, challenging him and showing no fear in front of him, despite every story about the Young Lion.

"A shame will be when I leave your father with no lands," Robb retorted, slamming both fists against the desk between them. He stood up; his gaze was steel when he met Jaime's. "I'm giving you this opportunity because Daenerys believes you _owe_ her. But I warn you, you'll wish I had cut your head off when you burn in dragonfire."

Jaime's face was expressionless. "Then I won't give her reasons to it."

"Or my brothers," Robb sat down. "They are raising those dragons as their own. Do you believe that they will be forgiving? Remember they also have direwolves under their command."

"Wild children the Starks, aren't they?"

The corner of Robb's mouth curled up. "The North is wild and unforgiving. We're raised to face the worst."

"Yeah, yeah," Jaime replied, rolling his eyes. "Winter's coming and all that. Believe me, I know I'm not welcome but as long as I have my head on my shoulders, your Lady Wife – the Queen in the North – will be kept safe."

Nodding, Robb turned to Dacey. "You know what to do in case he forgets how much his word is worth."

Dacey chuckled. "Yes, Your Grace."

"You know she's a woman, right? She couldn't handle me," Jaime rebutted but Dacey just elbowed him harshly.

"You're dismissed," the King in the North said.

Hearing them bickering as they walked away, Robb chuckled softly to himself.

As soon as his mother arrived, he would return to the Westerlands, to finish the job there, leaving the lands barren. The Lannisters would learn to not challenge the North ever again, to not awaken their wrath.

By dinner time, Dany found him as he walked to the hall. She seemed nervous but hid it well, telling him it was just tiredness because of the baby. Still he felt like something was wrong but, weren't many things at the time? War made him feel like that constantly.

His suspicions grew when he caught sight of Daenerys and Maester Luwin talking in hushed voices. The older man looked concerned over something.

"What were you talking about with Maester Luwin?"

Daenerys looked at him with wide eyes but a sweet smile on her face. Tilting her head to the side, she leaned forward, her breath tickling his ear when she said, "I wish to share the bed with you. Regrettably, Maester Luwin believes we should wait a few more days."

He couldn't help the way his lips curved into a smile, many things forgotten when she placed her hand on his thigh, under the table. "We'll wait." He took her other hand in his and kissed the back of it.

The grin on her face was simply wicked. Her hand squeezed his thigh and her lips felt warm against his cheek. "I'm sure we can still… spend the night together, my King." She sat straight again, looking ahead like a true Queen, but she turned to glance at him. "You'll only need me. I promised."

And perhaps truer words he hadn't heard before. But in that blissful state, Robb failed to notice the nervous looks between Maester Luwin and his wife.


	22. Maternal Instinct

**I don't know if you'll be surprised with this particular chapter but I had been thinking about it for a while. Some things had led to this point and I'd like to hear - read - your reactions.  
**

**As usual, thank you for your support.**

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**_Chapter 22 : Maternal Instinct  
_**

"You can't!" Daenerys hissed, her hands almost trembling over the surface of the Maester's desk. She felt her muscles tensing with rage and pain. Sorrow. This was bad news and she dreaded only the thought of saying it to Robb. "You have to keep this from him."

Maester Luwin frowned at his clasped hands. "Your Grace, I must remind you I've served your husband's family for a very long time, and I have never kept anything from them. Especially not when they involve one of the children I brought to this world."

Closing her eyes, trying to calm herself down enough to clear her mind, Dany tried again. "_Please_. You must listen to me. Robb…" her voice broke and she doubted the reasons behind it. What was he going to do? Would he lose his mind because of his rage? Would he turn bitter towards everyone? She only knew what his first measure would be. "He _will_ kill the Kingslayer. He'll behead him as soon as he finds him."

"Are you questioning his decisions?" The older man looked at her inquisitively but his voice was soft and wise like always. It was hard to imagine him rushing into anything without giving it a proper thought. Fortunately for her, she was glad it calmed her.

"No, because that it is what his heart wants but it's not going to help him politically."

"And if he doesn't take revenge, do you believe it will be better for him?"

Probably, she thought. Not in the present time since most of his men would perceive it as weakness but showing a bit of mercy would be of great help if he planned on ruling lands still divided by many who wanted to become king.

"I know that northerners do not approve of mercy like this."

"Your Grace, they sent us Sansa's finger as a threat."

Scowling at the piece of fabric in which the finger was enveloped, Dany felt like crying. Catelyn was about to arrive home and the last thing she deserved was to find out one of her children was being tortured. It would devastate her. Dany couldn't bear the thought of someone hurting her child. It would destroy her to see Iagan maimed and she would kill whoever did it with her bare hands.

The Lannisters had done too much damage to them.

"But it wasn't Jaime who did it. It was his father. He is the one behind everything and the day I find him, I'm going to rip open his throat and burn him with my dragons for everything he has done to my family and the Starks."

Maester Luwin smiled faintly at her, as if he had seen something in her speech, something she had lacked before. "You speak like a mother and a queen. You reminded me of Lady Catelyn. Maybe the North is mixing with your blood."

"The North's heir was in my womb. I am part of the North and it is because of that, because of my love for my people and family that I ask you not to tell him." She knew it was probably not something reasonable to ask since he served her husband and not her. He owed everything to Robb as the King and he would always come first but she hoped she had proved herself before.

"I can't let this go without punishment for the love I have to the Starks."

"I'm not asking you that." Daenerys straightened her back and smoothed her hands on the skirt of her dress, her chin high in defiance. "I will deal out justice. _I_ will defend my family, and Tywin Lannister will see that you can't tame the North or a Dragon."

"Your Grace," Maester Luwin called in a murmur. "What are you planning on doing?"

"He sent us a finger. I'll send him a hand," she stated firmly. "And I know who will do this."

"Jorah Mormont will be punished by the King if he does do this behind his back, and more likely than not that will cost him his head, his old sentence," Maester Luwin informed and Dany knew that was correct. Robb would see it as treason and he would not like to find out she had been talking to the man without his approval. Her husband was insanely jealous of Jorah.

"I will not ask Ser Jorah to do this but it will be a Mormont the one doing this for me."

"My lady," Maester Luwin called warningly. "Surely you have noticed how _close_ Dacey and the Kingslayer are now that they fight together." But it was more than just closeness during a fight. Daenerys had seen them interacting, talking and training in the courtyard.

The lady of Bear Island might have told her she didn't dream about marrying a man, but that didn't mean she could make herself stop feeling attraction for a man. And Dacey was a beautiful woman, such a beautiful woman that Jaime Lannister had also tried to romance her, despite the rumors that said he had no eyes for anyone but Cersei.

"I do know. This will also serve me to test her loyalty to us."

"She could grow resentful of this."

"Through pain, we learn. We are in the middle of a war and she swore to protect us. She has to keep her word."

-o-

It had been a long time since she had manipulated him this way. In reality, she had never manipulated him because the first time she tried, he refused her advances like the good boy he was. But he was no longer that innocent boy, yet he was far easier to distract. When his heart was in her hands, Robb just accepted whatever she offered.

Shuddering pleasantly as his lips traveled down the column of her neck, playfully sucking and licking at her skin, across her shoulders, Dany felt he could also have that power over her. She trusted in him with her life. He had done such a magnificent job at keeping her safe and happy, it was easy to forget why she had found herself in his bed, as his lover.

It was a conflicting situation for her. The love she felt for him was so strong, so overwhelming, she often wondered if her decisions were made thinking about him, them or her.

Inside her there was still the yearning for being queen, for following traditions and demonstrate her house was not extinct. They had never lost their power. And yet she also wanted Robb to be King on his own right, to win and prove himself worthy of not only her as a wife but also of the honor of avenging his father.

"Robb," she gasped as his fingers travelled up her sides, the rough pads of his fingers leaving a trail of fire on her skin. His beard grazed against her tender skin before he bit on her ear, chuckling deep in his throat.

"My Queen," he breathed out, making her tremble.

His eyes were openly looking into hers, searching for something deep in her soul. She was his and there was nothing that could say the opposite. He knew it. Robb loved her.

That sense of power, the knowledge of it made him feel powerful and it was addicting.

He might have been a Stark, silent and superbly loyal, but like any man, he wanted more. Power was for his to take and, given the chance, he wouldn't refuse it.

Her hands traveled up his spine, from his backside to rest between his strong shoulders, her nails scratching the taut muscles. He was everything she could have dreamt about for her perfect king, for the father of her heir.

He collapsed, rolling on his back to lie next to her. Pressing a kiss to her shoulder, Robb prompted her to turn to him. She happily hugged him, throwing one arm over his stomach while she placed her head on his shoulder, feeling the kiss pressed to her hair.

"I love you," she murmured and tightened her hold on him, fearing that one day she wouldn't be able to have him like this, at her side feeling so much love.

Humming dreamily, Robb closed his eyes.

Dany looked up to see him smiling as he drifted off.

She only hoped his future would be this peaceful and that she could be by his side during that journey.

-o-

Robb's mother arrived one afternoon, while snowflakes fell lightly covering the ground.

Rickon almost jumped with excitement, and wanted to run to meet his mother when he saw her horse at the distance. Daenerys stopped him by holding his hand and asking him to wait, just a moment longer.

She could see Catelyn's smile from the distance and imagined what she would feel as a mother, if she hadn't seen Iagan for a very long time. Dany's heart clenched, and she grinned as well. She was immensely happy for Robb's younger siblings since they needed the warmth and comfort of their mother. They had missed her so terribly, even if she had tried to do the best she could for them but it was impossible to replace a mother figure.

Another person was riding beside Catelyn and, at first, Daenerys thought it was a man due to the size of the knight but, as they approached, she realized it was a woman probably a bit taller than Dacey and much more muscular. She wasn't very pretty and there was worry and sadness etched on her face.

"My boys," Catelyn cooed, almost jumping off her horse at the sight of Rickon and Bran on Hodor's back. She hugged her children tight to her chest and peppered kisses on their cheeks.

It was the first time Daenerys had seen Bran grin so widely since she had met him.

"You must tell me everything you've done."

Rickon seemed happy at the thought. "Would you tell us stories?"

"Many," Catelyn promised. "But first I want to meet my grandson." She looked at Dany and they both shared a soft laugh before the older woman trapped the young queen in a hug. "Is he strong? Healthy?"

"He's magnificent," Dany whispered with a watery smile. "Like his father, you'll see."

"Mother," Robb interrupted, trying to sound imposing and cold but the love for his mother showed despite everything. "Welcome home."

"Oh, my boy."

It was the first time Robb had only smiled at the term. He would always be a boy in his mother's eyes and that would never upset him, because who could refuse the warm love of a mother? Robb might have been taller and stronger, but Catelyn hugged him just like she had hugged Rickon. No differences for they were all a part of her.

Daenerys decided she was right. She wouldn't taint this moment by telling them about the note that had arrived from King's Landing. She would keep the secret of the harm done to Sansa and deal with it herself.

-o-

She walked around the castle in search of Dacey. The need of sending the message to Tywin was urgent. The longer it took her to reply, the more Tywin would believe they had doubts about what they were doing.

After dinner that night, after Catelyn had introduced them to Brienne of Tarth, her new personal guard, Dany had decided it was the right time to execute her plan. Robb and Catelyn had left to discuss the future of the North and Winterfell, war and its possible outcome, which gave her enough time.

Walking past the room in which Robb and his mother were speaking, Daenerys saw Brienne standing outside, standing tall and strong like one of the most fearsome soldiers. She seemed like a woman who would be loyal until her death. Catelyn had chosen a good guard.

As she climbed down the stairs, Daenerys remembered what Doreah and Jhiqui had told her about Dacey and the Kingslayer. According to her handmaidens, the two soldiers had been doing more than training in the stables – and it had not been as if Dany hadn't expected it. They were free to do with their bodies as they pleased as long as it didn't affect their judgment. Besides, according to Doreah, who took great delight in witnessing such scenes, the Kingslayer had been subdued by Dacey.

Danerys only hoped that those games meant just lust and nothing more.

Gently knocking on the door, Daenerys waited.

Dacey's eyes were wide when she saw her standing there, and quickly opened the door to let her in. "Your Grace, you should have sent someone for me if you needed me."

"I could not do that, since what I am about to ask you must remain private," Daenerys said, sounding more like a queen than ever before. She had to separate her heart from her mind, think about what was best for Robb and the Seven Kingdoms.

"Of course. You know I am at your service."

"You are, aren't you? You will keep your word and keep us safe," Daenerys reminded and soon saw the doubt and the unspoken questions in Dacey's face.

"Yes."

With trembling hands she unclasped her hands and outstretched her arms, presenting Dacey the offending _present_ sent from King's Landing. She unwrapped it carefully, and Dacey's face turned pale at the sight of the decomposing finger. "It's Sansa's. The Lannisters have sent it to us as a reminder of what they can do to her, as a threat for us to retreat from their lands." She sighed, eyes trained on the finger before she scowled at it, covering it. "We will show them we do not fear them and, for that, we'll send them a present of our own."

Dacey was a smart woman and soon knew what Daenerys was asking. "Are you sure? Is the King aware of it?"

"It's a personal favor. And I ask of your help as a friend to my most loyal guard." She was looking into Dacey's dark eyes when she said, "You must cut the Kingslayer's hand."

"But, Your Grace, he won't be able to fight. He will be of no use to us." Dacey was frantic but her excuses were not very convincing.

"His left hand. I'm sure he'll survive. Besides, what is it for a soldier like him but another reminder of war? Of his bravery? I'm sure he'll be thankful for my decision, for my husband would have chosen his head instead of a hand."

Understanding the decision, and knowing there was no way to convince her other way, Dacey nodded. "Yes, Your Grace."

"We'll do it now."

"Now?"

"We need to do this as secretly as possible." Danerys pulled the hood of her cloak over her head and walked past Dacey to leave the room. "Go for the Lion and bring him to the stables. He doesn't deserve honor."

"Your Grace?"

Dany turned to Dacey and saw the pleading look in her eyes, her beauty almost shining thanks to it. "Please let me do it in the courtyard and not among the dirt and hay."

"For you, not him," said Daenerys after a second, leaving before Dacey asked for more since she didn't know if there was mercy left in her.

-o-

She would be the only witness of this, of Dacey's trembling limbs as she held the sword, of Jaime's look of acceptance as he knelt there, his arm on the same surface where wood was cut every day.

It was hard to understand why he looked at Dacey with a small smile, as if she was already forgiven. They did not speak a word but it wasn't needed. They could pretend to hate each other but that was very far from reality.

"Do you have something for me to bite on?" Jaime asked her, as serious as he could be while seeing the blade and his arm, ready for his punishment. Ready to face his destiny.

Daenerys looked distant and emotionless. "I want you to scream. Like my mother screamed. Like Bran did when he fell. Like I'm sure Sansa did when your father ordered to hurt her. Like my niece and nephew, you shall scream."

And that's how the secret was revealed, as the scream broke the silence and the blood stained the white snow in the courtyard.


	23. No Reprieve

**Wow! I didn't expect such strong opinions, though I love that you let me know about them. Some of you hated the last chapter and some of you loved it. I've never before seen that kind of reaction but I accept it. Part of writing a story is that not everyone reading has to really agree with everything but you have to admit that without plot twists this would become quite boring.  
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**Thank you for your response.**

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_**Chapter 23 : No Reprieve**_

The nights in Winterfell were peaceful and quiet. The cold forced people to find themselves inside their homes earlier than in other places, even if they were used to it. They weren't fond of any type of frivolous entertainment either; they lived with little and made the most of it. Northerners were hard people with warm hearts for the ones they loved.

The bloodcurdling scream heard stabbed the silence of the night like an arrow through a heart.

It was Theon the one who burst into the room where Robb and his mother were speaking. He didn't ask for permission. He didn't apologize. It took Robb only one look at his former best friend – _brother_ – to know something very wrong had happened; the ironborn looked wild, the sweat making his hair stick to his face and his eyes seemed almost unfocused when he spoke.

"She cut his hand," he breathed out. "Your wife, she… she ordered Dacey to cut the Kingslayer's hand."

It was only that he needed to hear for him to hurry himself out of the inner castle, with Theon following closely behind and his lady mother not far from them.

He didn't know what to make of it. He actually didn't know where to go but Theon kept talking about the blood and the courtyard, about the mud and Maester Luwin attending the Young Lion's wound.

What had happened? What had driven Daenerys to do such thing? He had heard the stories of how ruthless _dothraki_ people could be, of the rituals they performed and of Daenerys taking part of them in her role as their queen but she hadn't so far showed it in front of him. Robb of course knew she was a very strong woman, but she had not showed signs that could lead her to do this.

His steps slowed down at the sight of Maester Luwin ordering a couple of men to take the Kingslayer into the castle. Dacey was standing there with a conflicted expression on her face and a bloody sword still in her trembling hands; she had fought before and killed people but he guessed she had never expected to maim a brother-in-arms, a man Robb knew had become of significance for her even if they pretended to despise one another.

The heir of Bear Island woke up of her stupor when she saw how they dragged Jaime into the castle, letting her sword fall into a puddle of blood, mud and melted snow. "I'm sorry," she whispered as she walked past Robb.

The Kingslayer had passed out, and his body was limp.

Robb blue eyes shone like cold steel when they fell upon his wife, who stood there in her embroidered cloak, the hood covering her head and shadowing her face. Light snow was sprinkled over her head and shoulders and a piece of her braided hair peaked out to fall over her chest.

"What have you done?" He growled through his teeth, taking a long step her way but she didn't move. "What have you _done_!" he demanded before standing only inches away from her, noticing her clasped hands in front of her.

He roughly pulled off her hood and looked into her violet eyes, noses touching but she showed no sign of recognition, as if she were out of herself.

"Answer me!" he shouted and she lowered her gaze.

"It had to be done."

"Robb," his mother called softly, forcing him to twist his head around to see servants and guards looking at them. He knew this had to be done in private, just like his mother had advised in unspoken words.

And so her grabbed Daenerys by the arms and dragged her into the castle, pushing her roughly, feeling an unpleasant burning in his stomach, feeling frustrated and hurt. More hurt than she had ever done to him before.

His wife had betrayed his trust.

-o-

"Speak! Explain yourself!" he ordered as he shoved her in their bedchambers, his mother following closely and closing the door behind her quickly, right before Irri tried to enter the room.

Daenerys had lost her balance and had to brace herself on the bed to not fall onto the hard floor.

"They sent a finger. Sansa's," she looked up when they heard the sharp intake of breath from his mother and her prayer to the Gods for her daughter to be still safe. Alive. "I had to do this! For _you_," she stressed, looking at him with pleading eyes. "For all of you," she added with her eyes on his mother.

"For me?" he spat between clenched teeth. "For _me?_ I'm King in the North, Daenerys! The _King_. You have nothing to do for me. I take the decisions. How do you think this will look for the men I lead? For the Seven Kingdoms? I can't even control my wife!"

"Robb," Daenerys called meekly. "My Wolf, I-"

"Quiet!" he bellowed. They could only hear the fire crackling in the hearth.

She cowered, slipping off the bed and onto the floor. Her muddied dress pooling around her, making her look like the child she hadn't been in far too long.

"You failed me," he hissed. He couldn't feel pity for her when her eyes filled with unshed tears, when she trembled at the sight of him towering over her. His own heart felt frozen at the thought of the woman he loved betraying him. "What did you think? Did you think I was going to kill him as soon as I knew? You must think I am that foolish, aye?"

She averted her eyes and he saw her swallowing hard. There was no need for answers on her part. He knew he was hot-tempered but he was no fool. He had to make hard decisions but he never took them for just any reason.

"Do you believe that if I propose a trade of my sister for the Kingslayer they will accept it now that he's maimed? Do you think they won't hurt Sansa because we cut his hand? You are going to get her killed!"

Tears fell down Danerys cheeks even if she hadn't blinked. It was as if she could not react to anything, as if she could not utter apologies. But would he accept apologies? They would do nothing to mend the situation they had found themselves in due to her rush to prove her power.

His blood felt like it was boiling through his body and his heart frozen in his chest, all at once.

He grabbed her by the hair and forced her to look at him. Forgotten were all those times in which he gently ran his fingers through the platinum tresses while they laid naked in bed, while he lazily kissed her and took time to learn every curve, every crevice in her body.

"You will cost me _everything_," he spat with fury. "You have insulted me, Daenerys Targaryen. You've done much worse than calling me a boy, you've treated me like one. Like a child who cannot take care of himself."

"Robb, my Wolf. Please," she begged. "Understand-" she reached for his face with trembling hands but he slapped them away.

"You should understand. I'm _your_ King."

"If someone did that to our son, wouldn't you have done the same? Wouldn't you have wanted to protect him? I wouldn't bear the thought of my child being hurt!" she screamed in a shrilled voice, fully crying now. "I had to," she whispered like a mad woman. "I had to hurt him because they hurt my family. Our family."

"I was going to send him back to King's Landing with Brienne of Tarth to trade him for my sister." He tugged on her hair and she closed her eyes tightly. "How am I supposed to do that now? Tell me!"

She tried to shake her head but his hold didn't allow it.

"If it had been our child, my child," he breathed out in a whisper. "I would've burnt the Seven Kingdoms and kill each of them at the right time, which is what I plan on doing unless you get in my way again."

He released her, noticing how her body crumpled against the side of the bed, looking exhausted and in pain.

"From now on, you're forbidden to leave the castle and all decisions would be made by the Lord of Winterfell in my absence, Bran. You're no longer entitled to advise him. Your maids will serve you but you won't have the power to give orders to the guards or any of my men."

"Robb, son" his mother called sternly but softly.

Only one look told her this wasn't the right time to try and tell him what to do.

"Theon will replace Dacey in her duty as your guard. He'll stay."

"No," Daenerys said firmly. "He _hates_ me!"

"Then he won't listen to you, which is what I need to be sure of." He straightened, feeling empty and tired. "I will leave tomorrow and return to the Westerlands."

"Don't do this to me." She reached for him, her fingers barely grazing the top of his boots. "I love you, my Wolf."

He said nothing back. Robb just turned around to leave the room, letting his mother stay with Daenerys, listening how the sobs grew louder while his mother's voice made hushing sounds and murmurs.

As he walked down the corridor he wondered how you could hate and love a person at the same time.

-o-

"We need to keep this for ourselves right now. Nothing good will come up if this is heard by our enemies," Catelyn said as she paced in front of his desk with her hands clasped together. The worry on her face was evident. All of them were afraid of the consequences considering what had happened with Sansa and the Kingslayer.

Robb had had to speak to Maester Luwin when he profusely apologized for keeping information from him but Robb understood it had been done under Daenerys orders. He just explained she no longer had that power at which the master only nodded reluctantly, accepting his orders.

"It's our only chance until we are able to rescue Sansa and Arya," Robb agreed. They couldn't just attack at any time and risk the territory they had conquered. Plus, if they showed any sign of weakness, their allies could change their minds. It was a tricky situation in which the wrong step could be their downfall.

Sighing, Robb tried to keep calm as he remembered what his wife had done.

He had already informed Theon of the new plans for him, and he seemed more than pleased to serve him and regain a part of the trust he had lost. Of course, Robb had warned Theon of not hurting Daenerys under any circumstances because she was still his wife and queen.

Meanwhile, Jaime was still resting as Dacey kept a close eye on him. There was no longer need to keep their secret, since her worry had been revealing enough.

"He said he knew," Dacey murmured when Robb had called her to explain the new arrangements in Winterfell. "He was sure at one point or another, he would be punished, that he had gone too long through life without paying for his _debts_," she spoke with sadness.

"Perhaps, but it wasn't the time."

"Many times he asked me that if it weren't you, Your Grace, he'd rather be me who did it. I was merely respecting his wishes as well as your wife's."

There had been a time when he had passionately disliked Daenerys, when he had been forced to marry her, but they had grown so close, soon they were wrapped together, held by strong vines that kept them safe in their own world. Robb couldn't accept easily that now they were strangers again. Was she cursed with madness as her father or had she been honest in her attempt to keep their family safe?

"You and the Kingslayer cannot be together, Dacey," Robb sentenced, meeting her gaze. "He is a traitor before all and this doesn't erase his sins."

She obediently nodded but Robb knew that not being together only meant not making public their affair. Women from House Mormont never justified their actions to a man, even if she was loyal to her king.

"He would need to plead forgiveness and swear to be loyal to me, things that won't happen any time soon."

"Indeed, Your Grace."

It was odd how one thing, one bad decision, had destroyed all the happiness they had achieved after Catelyn's return and Iagan's birth. Overnight they found themselves bitter and angry.

-o-

Cradling his child in his arms, Robb let himself take in every detail of his son. His eyelashes were white as snowflakes fallen on his cheeks. And when he looked at him, Iagan's eyes seemed alive, as if the blue in them were the ocean under the bright sun, shining and moving with the force of the wind.

Such a marvelous creature couldn't have been born from evil. Robb refused to believe Daenerys had deceived him to lead him to this point, to betray him.

At that moment, he heard the soft steps approaching. He looked up in time to see Daenerys standing there. She looked haggard, her hair falling loose around her and her eyes reddened out of so much crying. He had heard her whimpers and screaming for him whenever he walked past her chambers but he had refused to see her since the incident.

By her side was Grey Wind, looking at him with curiosity, as if he didn't recognize him completely.

"Do you wish for me to leave?" she whispered in a somewhat hoarse voice, like someone who had been screaming for a very long time. Her eyes were cast down and didn't dare to look at him, only at the baby.

She was scared of him. It was a very unsettling feeling. This wasn't _her_. Had he broken her in his haste to mend her doings?

"No." He approached him carefully but he felt hurt when she took a step back in fear.

Grey Wind growled at him but stopped as soon as Robb handed Iagan to Daenerys. She cradled the babe close to her chest as if he were the only living creature who could bring her comfort during this time.

"I must leave now," he stated, hating the way she choked on her own tears and how he couldn't bring himself to wipe them away like he used to.

"You weren't going to say goodbye?"

No. He wasn't because he couldn't fix things like that. Was there a solution for their problems? Would time be enough?

He said nothing and walked past her.

"Will you ever forgive me?" she asked and followed him as he hurried to leave. She put Iagan in Irri's waiting arms when the handmaiden came into view. Daenerys kept on following him down the stairs, with Grey Wind close behind her. "I still love you."

He blew a breath through his mouth, crushing the need to turn around and pull her into his arms, against his chest. Never had he made empty promises and he wasn't about to start now.

Walking past the door that led to the courtyard, where his men and horse waited for him, he saw Theon. Robb called his name as a command at which Theon nodded.

"My Wolf," Daenerys called just as she put a foot outside while he mounted his horse, right after gesturing goodbyes to his brothers and mother to whom he had had the deference to tell when he would leave.

He heard her struggling against Theon, trying to escape from his hold as she shouted, "My King! Don't leave yet."

He ignored her, spurring his horse, ready to return to battle.

"_Robb_!" she screamed with all her strength as he crossed the gates and kept on shouting until he could hear the wolves crying with her, even Grey Wind at his side. They howled with sorrow and Rhaegal whimpered in his cage.

Not once he dared to look back.


	24. Children

**There were mixed reviews for the previous chapter, but believe me, the last thing I pretend is to make you hate Robb, because I really like him as character. You must also understand that even if these characters play important roles, they are still teenagers facing very difficult scenarios. Also, I apologize if you thought Robb's reaction was violent against Daenerys but you know this is set in a different universe and time (in which is okay to call someone a bastard or a cripple, words that are quite offensive in our time).  
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**Keep in mind that I have plans, and it might take a while for you to see the results but there are plans. This is not over yet.**

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**_Chapter 24 : Children_**

Iagan wiggled his arms and legs as he lay next to her in bed. He seemed so fascinated with his freedom granted because of the warmth inside her chambers that she couldn't help but smile and giggle at him. Those little whining noises he made out of frustration or happiness made her own heart fill with warmth. After what she had gone through with Robb, she needed every drop of it she could get.

There was still a deep wound in her heart, an ache she couldn't get rid of despite the couple of days since his departure. She knew she had done wrong and had insulted him without wishing so.

Lately she couldn't rest much. Thinking about why she hadn't been able to trust his judgment, to discuss plans with him; it didn't allow her to sleep. They had been both fools believing that the other wouldn't understand. But what she regretted the most was to have picked on his wounds, poking him on the spots that hurt the most.

"My sweet boy," Dany cooed as she dragged the back of her hand against Iagan's soft cheek in a light caress. "He still loves you. Your father will forever love you because you're blood of his blood. Blood of the wolf." She carded her fingers through the short and thin white hair of the babe.

How had it been possible for her to be so weak when it came to Robb yet so cold-hearted with everyone else? Was it because she loved him? She had felt so hopeless when she faced his fury. She knew in that moment she had been mistaken and should have gone to him but things were already done.

"Maybe we can do something to mend things," she spoke to herself but also playing with Iagan's little hands. His blue eyes trained on hers as if he wanted to voice his opinion. "After all, your father shouldn't be fixing this for me. And I need his trust back."

There was a knock at the door and Dany soon replied to grant her permission. Lately, very few people visited her; mostly her handmaidens and Rickon who always felt quite bored and loved to learn Valyrian with her and Iagan. And even if Bran was extremely busy as a Lord, he made sure to make his presence known by letting Summer wander around.

She still remembered one particular afternoon in which Doreah had been terribly scared when she found Iagan cradled between Summer and Shaggy, all of them peacefully sleeping like brothers. Iagan was a true Stark, but also quite obstinate and brave like his parents.

"You are here," said Theon as he pushed the door open.

"Was I supposed to be somewhere else?" she snapped back with all the venom she could muster. He hadn't been particularly cruel with her, which she believed was because of Robb's order of not hurting her, but he wasn't kind either. "If I remember correctly, I'm not allowed to leave my chambers without a reason."

Theon scoffed. "Are you playing the victim after what you've done to Robb and the Kingslayer?" That smirk on his face provoked her to slap him, but she refrained from it in case he decided to take out his frustration on one of her handmaidens – it wasn't a secret that Theon enjoyed of Doreah's company at night to warm up his bed.

Taking Iagan in her arms, Daenerys stood up and looked at him in the eye, daring him to challenge her. Despite everything that had happened, she still wasn't afraid of him.

"As much as you want to believe, you and I aren't so different, Theon. We both love Robb and we both have done wrong to him. But you seem to forget the only reason why he gave you a reprieve is because of me." She breathed in deeply, feeling Iagan's little fist hooking on the collar of her dress. "I'm still your queen and I _do_ want what is best for the North and the Seven Kingdoms. Most importantly, I believe Robb should be King."

"So you can be the _rightful_ queen?" he hissed.

"Yes," she replied with no hesitation because she knew it was her place to take, a role she had prepared for all her life. "So we can rule together and so our children will inherit our titles. Names won't be forgotten and our parents won't have died because of nothing. We will take what belongs to us."

"You sound so sure and yet he can't even look at you." Theon chuckled almost evilly.

"He loves me." Dany brushed her lips against Iagan's forehead and sighed softly. "If he did not, then why keep me? He could have many more suited wives; Margaery is a widow and she could provide him many allies. Why choose me if he doesn't love me? Why choose _you_ if he hates you as much as he pretends? You're brothers and he's my husband. If he hasn't killed us yet is because we mean more to him than he lets on."

Theon looked at Iagan and those much too bright blue eyes. "I've never seen eyes like that before." He gulped and tried to ignore what she had said so far. In fact, he looked almost scared at the sight of Iagan. But by doing this, he only achieved to put more ideas in Dany's head. "They say the Others, beyond The Wall, have eyes like that. Cold like blue stars."

"You think I've given birth to a monster?" The eerily calm tone said it quite well. She was furious at the implications of Theon's words and if she hadn't slapped him before when he had tried to insult her, she would do it if he dared to speak badly about her son.

"No," he muttered. "I'm saying that he looks like a boy who will be king one day. A legend, mayhap."

If her eyes widened when she heard him, Theon decided to ignore it. He only ducked his head with the hint of a somewhat honest but small smile on his lips. Months before, this small peace offering would have been very unlikely but perhaps now that they stood almost at the same side of Robb's affections, they were finally seeing one another from a different point of view.

"If you excuse me, _Your Grace_," he drawled with sarcasm, as if he still couldn't respect her as his queen. He had every right to resent her after what had happened with his father's army weeks prior. "I just came to let you know Lady Catelyn wishes to see you," he finally said.

She graciously responded that she was willing to welcome Catelyn, and also added that he could send Irri in since she was thirsty. His blood boiled every time she gave him an order, that was why she did it whenever she could.

At least she knew there would be plenty of time to discover which were Theon's true intentions and feelings. She had nowhere else to go now, so why not study Robb's former best friend?

-o-

The look on Catelyn's face when she held Iagan in her arms was of pure joy, as if he could bring hope and comfort to her soul. Dany knew he was able to do that, to take her to a perfect place full of love and void of worries.

"When Robb was born, he was this little babe screaming so loud his face was redder than his hair. I was so afraid to hold him," Catelyn told her in a hushed voice as Iagan looked at her, his tiny fists in his mouth. "He looked so fragile and now he's off, fighting wars. He's giving me grandchildren." She smiled thoughtfully. "And I still see him as that same babe in my arms, the one with the easy smile and gentle character."

Daenerys welcomed Iagan in her arms, when Catelyn handed him to her. Robb's mother cupped her cheek with a hand, forcing her to look into those sad and motherly eyes.

"My child," she whispered, "He had never done that before and I believe it's partly my fault. All of this. There's much weight upon his shoulders, duties that forced him to become a man before his time." She pursed her lips in a thin line, clenching her jaw out of frustration and anger. "He has not only to avenge Ned's murder but he has to think about his sisters, about the North, the realm, Westeros and us. And like his father, he believes he has to do everything himself."

Until then, Dany hadn't realized she was crying until Catelyn gently wiped the tears away. "I still love him."

It was strange to have a mother figure like the one she had always wanted, especially one like Catelyn who excelled at being a mother, who put her family first always. It was comforting to have someone like her to talk to, someone who understood.

"Loving him doesn't make you weak," Catelyn sentenced. "It can only make you stronger but only if you realize that you need each other." Sighing, Catelyn sat gracefully on a chair, waiting for her to sit on the bed so the two of them could face one another. "While Ned and I were together, we were incredibly happy and strong." She chuckled softly at the memory of her husband but Dany also saw how the older woman wiped her own tears away. "And do not think that just because he was called the _Quiet_ Wolf that meant he didn't have a temper. All wolves growl at some point. That doesn't mean they don't love us."

"But it felt like that. If I didn't know him better, if I hadn't seen how kind he was to me before, I do not believe I could have held any hope." Dany buried her nose in Iagan's hair and let herself breathe before she spoke again. "I had never seen him like that. He was not himself."

"He was not,"Catelyn confirmed.

"He made me feel like someone I hadn't been in a long time and I did not enjoy that," she said through gritted teeth, a mix of anger and sadness laced to her voice. "What if this is who he has become? What if-"

"Daenerys, do you know who Jon Snow is?" Catelyn asked in a stranged voice, one who seemed bitter but also void of emotion.

"Robb's brother," she replied at which Catelyn responded with a small smile.

"Brother they call each other." Catelyn clasped her hands over her lap, as if looking for something to entertain her mind and take away her nervousness. "He is Ned's son. A bastard born after we married, while he was away, fighting Robert's war. When he brought that boy with him, I couldn't believe what he had done to me. Ned brought the only symbol of his betrayal to our marriage and asked me to let him live here, amongst our children. I accepted because he was my husband and eventually forgave him."

"The thought of Robb being with another woman…" Daenerys trailed off, eyes filling with tears of pure frustration while her heart beat wildly in her chest out of rage. "That's something I'm not sure I could forgive."

"I'm not saying you should. What I wanted to prove was that we do strange things for love and that the ones we love don't always make the right decisions according to us."

Nodding, Dany felt more at ease after receiving advice from Catelyn, knowing she wasn't the only one who had had a difficult marriage. Playing the game of thrones and keeping a family and a relationship was nothing but hard work.

During the conversation, Iagan had fallen asleep in her arms, so she carefully placed him in his bassinet next to the bed.

It was strange but when Catelyn offered to brushed her hair, to braid it like she had done with Sansa many times before, they both found comfort. It was something that helped them bond. Dany had never experienced the love of a mother, and in that moment she realized Catelyn would be the closest thing she would ever have, which didn't make easy for her to apologize.

"I'm sorry if my actions put Sansa and Arya in danger. It was the last thing I wanted," she murmured.

A gentle hand fell upon her shoulder. "In this moment, I have doubts that anything we do can bring my daughters back, unless we win this war." She silently braided the platinum blonde hair for a moment before adding, "We would need to get into the Red Keep to bring them home. And right now that's impossible."

Daenerys was attentively listening to the words when suddenly an idea came to mind. "There is a way."

"Child, please don't get in more trouble."

"No!" she stood up quickly. A smile had bloomed in her face. "I don't know why I had forgotten, but Ser Jorah confided me that he had been working for the Spider, that at first he had sold information about me and my brother. He wanted a royal pardon and that's how he returned to Westeros. He swore to me that he had not told the truth to Lord Varys. But that is why I kept my distance from him, like Robb asked me to." She moved around the room very fast and paced frantically just like her mind was working.

"What are you saying?" Catelyn's eyes followed her but she didn't move, being reserved about her reaction.

"He could offer his services again and get into the Red Keep to rescue Sansa and Arya. Silently. They could be safe soon. With us."

"You must write to Robb and tell him," Catelyn said, taking Dany's hands in hers while the young woman shook her head.

"No. He won't accept it. You must do this. You must ask Maester Luwin to send a note to Ser Jorah on my behalf."

"The less people know about this, the better."

"The Spider won't like this."

Catelyn nodded. "You're right. But will Jorah Mormont be willing to risk his life for my daughters? For Robb?"

"No, but he'll do it for me. And we can't really wait much longer. They will be back in Winterfell before the Lannisters realize they are gone."

The two women smiled at each other and clasped their hands together.

"May the Gods be with us and bless you, my child. We must make this work."


End file.
